>v 


NEWS   WRITING 


THE   GATHERING,  HANDLING 
AND  WRITING  OF  NEWS  STORIES 


BY  y 

M.  LYLE  SPENCER,  PH.D. 

PROFESSOR     OF    ENGLISH,     LAWRENCE     COLLEGE 
ON  THE  STAFF  OF  "THE  MILWAUKEE  JOURNAL" 


D.  C.  HEATH  &  CO.,  PUBLISHERS 

BOSTON  NEW  YORK  CHICAGO 


COPYRIGHT,  1917, 
BY  D.  C.  HEATH  &  Co. 

ic8 


TO 
THOMAS    B.    REID 

DEAN  OF  THE  WISCONSIN  NEWSPAPER  MEN 


376514 


PREFACE 

THE  first  week  of  a  reporter's  work  is  generally  the  most 
nerve-racking  of  his  journalistic  experience.  Unacquainted 
with  his  associates,  ignorant  of  his  duties,  embarrassed  be- 
cause of  his  ignorance,  he  wastes  more  time  in  useless  effort, 
dissipates  more  energy  in  worry,  and  grows  more  despondent 
over  his  work  and  his  career  than  during  any  month  of  his 
later  years.  Yet  most  of  his  depression  would  be  unneces- 
sary if  he  knew  his  duties. 

To  acquaint  the  prospective  reporter  with  these  duties 
and  their  proper  performance  is  the  purpose  of  this  volume, 
which  has  been  written  as  a  practical  guide  for  beginners 
in  news  writing.  Its  dominating  purpose  is  practicalness. 
If  it  fails  in  this,  its  main  purpose  will  be  lost. 

Because  of  this  practical  aim  the  attempt  has  been  made 
to  approach  the  work  of  the  reporter  as  he  will  meet  it  on 
beginning  his  first  morning's  duties  in  the  news  office.  After 
an  introductory  division  explaining  the  organization  of  a 
newspaper  and  acquainting  the  beginner  with  his  fellows 
and  superiors  in  the  editorial  rooms,  the  book  opens  with 
an  exposition  of  news.  It  then  takes  up  sources  of  news, 
methods  of  getting  stories,  and  the  preparation  of  copy  for 
the  city  desk. 

In  discussing  the  writing  of  the  story,  it  has  seemed  neces- 
sary to  devote  much  attention  to  the  lead,  experience  show- 
ing that  the  point  of  greatest  difficulty  in  handling  a  story 
lies  in  the  choice  of  a  proper  and  effectively  worded  lead. 
Likewise,  it  has  been  necessary  to  discuss  the  sentence  at 
greath  length  and  to  touch  the  paragraph  only  lightly, 


viii  PREFACE 

because  the  one  is  so  much  a  matter  of  individual  judgment, 
the  other  subject  to  such  definite  laws,  —  laws  of  which, 
however,  most  cub  reporters  are  grossly  ignorant.  In  some 
classes  in  news  writing  the  instructor  will  find  it  possible 
and  advisable  to  pass  hastily  over  the  chapter  on  The  Sen- 
tence, but  as  a  rule  he  will  find  a  careful  study  of  it  profitable. 
In  Part  III,  that  dealing  with  types  of  stories,  emphasis 
has  been  laid  on  interview,  crime,  and  sports  stories,  because 
it  is  these  that  the  cub  reporter  must  be  most  familiar  with 
on  taking  up  his  work  in  the  newspaper  office.  For  the 
same  practical  reasons  the  volume  omits  editorial  and  copy 
reading,  and  makes  no  attempt  to  teach  the  beginner  to  be 
a  dramatic  critic  or  a  city  editor.  It  aims  to  give  him  only 
those  details  and  v  that  instruction  which  shall  make  him  a 
competent,  reliable  reporter  for  the  city  editor  who  first 
employs  his  services. 

The  book  is  written  also  with  the  belief,  based  on  practical 
experience,  that  news  writing  as  a  craft  can  be  taught.  It 
is  not  contended  that  schools  can  produce  star  reporters. 
The  newspaper  office  is  the  only  place  where  they  can  be 
developed.  But  it  is  maintained  that  the  college  can  send 
to  the  city  room  men  and  women  who  have  been  guided 
beyond  the  discouraging  defeats  of  mere  cub  reporting,  just 
as  schools  of  law,  medicine,  and  commerce  can  graduate 
lawyers,  doctors,  and  business  men  who  know  the  rudi- 
ments of  their  professions.  And  this  contention  is  based 
on  experience.  During  the  last  four  years  the  studies  here 
offered  have  been  followed  closely  in  the  class  room,  from 
which  students  have  been  graduated  who  are  now  holding 
positions  of  first  rank  on  leading  American  dailies.  Some 
too,  though  not  all,  had  had  no  previous  experience  in  news- 
paper work. 

All  the  illustrations  and  exercises  except  two  are  taken 
from  published  news  articles,  most  of  the  stories  being  un- 


PREFACE  ix 

changed.    In  some,  however,  fictitious  names  and  addresses, 
for  obvious  reasons,  have  been  substituted. 

For  aid  in  the  preparation  of  this  volume  my  thanks  are 
due  to  Mr.  C.  O.  Skinrood  of  The  Milwaukee  Journal,  Mr. 
Warren  B.  Bullock  of  The  Milwaukee  Sentinel,  and  Mr. 
Paul  F.  Hunter  of  The  Sheboygan  Press,  who  have  made 
numerous  criticisms  upon  the  book  during  its  different  stages. 
Their  suggestions  have  been  invaluable.  For  permission 
to  reprint  stories  from  their  columns  my  thanks  also  are 
due  to  the  Appleton  Post,  Atlanta  Constitution,  Boston  Tran- 
script, Chicago  American,  Chicago  Herald,  Chicago  Tribune, 
Des  Moines  Register,  Indianapolis  News,  Kansas  City  Star, 
Los  Angeles  Times,  Milwaukee  Journal,  Milwaukee  Sentinel, 
Minneapolis  Tribune,  New  York  Herald,  New  York  Sun, 
New  York  Times,  New  York  Tribune,  New  York  World, 
Omaha  News,  Philadelphia  Public  Ledger,  and  the  Washing- 
ton Post. 

M.  L.  S 
APPLETON,  WISCONSIN 

March  12,  1917 


CONTENTS 
PART  I 

ORGANIZATION   OF   THE   PAPER 

I.   INTRODUCTION    ................    .  3 

II.   THE   EDITORIAL   ROOMS  .............  5 

III.  THE  MECHANICAL  DEPARTMENT    .........  13 

IV.  THE  BUSINESS  DEPARTMENT     ..........  20 

PART  II 

THE   NEWS   STORY 

V.   WHAT  NEWS  Is     ................  25 

VI.   NEWS  SOURCES      ................  34. 

VII.    GETTING  THE  ^TORY    ..............  42 

VIII.   ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  STORY    ..........  57 

IX.   THE  LEAD  .  68 

i  • 

X.   THE  BODY  OF  THE  STORY  ............  84 

XI.   THE  PARAGRAPH   ........    ........  97 

XII.   THE  SENTENCE  .................  99 

XIII.   WORDS     ....................  116 

PART  III 

TYPES   OF   STORIES 


XIV.   INTERVIEWS,  SPEECHES,  COURTS  ......... 

XV.   ACCIDENT,  CRIME      ......    .    ........  149 

XVI.   SPORTS     ....................  164 

XVII.   SOCIETY       ...................  199 

XVIII.   FOLLOW-UPS,  REWRITES  .............  212 


xii  CONTENTS 

XIX.   FEATURE  STORIES 224 

XX.    CORRESPONDENCE  STORIES .  235 

APPENDIX 

STYLE  BOOK 249 

MARKS  USED  IN  CORRECTING  COPY 273 

CORRECTED  COPY 275 

SPECIMEN  PROOF 276 

TERMINOLOGY 278 

EXERCISES      285 

INDEX 353 


PART  I 
ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  PAPER 


NEWS  WRITING 

ORGANIZATION   OF   THE   PAPER 
I.     INTRODUCTION 

1.  The  City  Room.  -  -  The  city  room  is  the  place  where 
a  reporter  presents  himself  for  work  the  first  day.     It  is 
impossible  to  give  an  exact  description  of  this1  room,  because 
no  two  editorial  offices  are  ever  alike.    If  the  reporter  has 
allied  himself  with  a  country  weekly,  he  may  find  the  city 
room  and  the  business  office  in  one,  with  the  owner  of  the 
paper  and  himself  as  the  sole  dependence  for  village  news. 
If  he  has  obtained  work  on  a  small  daily,  he  may  find  a  .  di- 
minutive office,  perhaps  twelve  by  fifteen  feet,  with  the  city 
editor  the  only  other  reporter.    If  he  has  been  employed  by 
a  metropolitan   journal,  he   will  probably  find   one   large 
room  and  several  smaller  adjoining  offices,  and  an  editorial 
force  of  twenty  to  thirty  or  forty  helpers,  depending  upon 
the  size  of  the  paper. 

2.  Metropolitan   Papers.  -  -  The   metropolitan   paper,    of 
course,  is  the  most  complex  in  organization,  and  is  there- 
fore the  one  for  a  beginner  to  examine.    The  chances  are 
two  to  one  that  the  cub  will  have  to  begin  on  a  so-called 
country  daily,  but  if  he  knows  the  organization  of  a  large 
paper,  hg  will  exRgrjence  Httle^oubl^iru  learning  the  less 

nf  n   small  nng     For  this  reason  the 


reader  is  given  in  Part  I  an  explanation  of  the  organization 
of  a  representative  metropolitan  newspaper. 


4  OR(i\M>;ATION  OF  THE  PAPER 

3.  All  Papers  Different.  --The  reader  is  cautioned,  how- 
ever,' against  taking  this  exposition  as  an  explanation  of 
anything  more  than  a  typical  newspaper.  The  details  of 
organization  of  various  papers  will  be  found  to  differ  some- 
what. The  number  of  editors  and  their  precise  duties  will 
vary.  One  journal  will  be  a  morning,  another  an  afternoon, 
paper;  a  third  will  be  a  twenty-four-hour  daily,  employing 
a  double  shift  of  men  and  having  one  city  editor  with  day 
and  night  assistants.  One  paper  will  have  a  universal  copy 
desk  with  a  single  copy  editor  handling  all  departments. 
Another  will  have,  instead  of  a  state  editor,  a  section  editor, 
a  man  who  handles  all  special  matter  not  carried  by  the 
press  service  from  possibly  half  a  dozen  states.  Thus  the 
organizations  vary  in  certain  minor  details,  sometimes 
materially  so;  but,  on  the  whole,  one  general  system  will 
prevail.  And  it  is  to  give  the  student  an  understanding  of 
a  typical  newspaper  plant  that  Part  I  is  written. 


II.     THE  EDITORIAL  ROOMS 

4.  Beginning  Work.  —  As  stated  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ter, the  place  at  which  the  reporter  presents  himself  for  work 
the  first  day  is  the  city  room.    Before  coming,  he  will  have 
seen  the  city  editor  and  received  instructions  as  to  the  time. 
If  the  office  is  that  of  a  morning  paper,  he  will  probably  be 
required  to  come  some  time  between  noon  and  six  P.M.    If 
it  is  that  of  an  afternoon  paper,  he  will  be  asked  to  report  at 
six  or  seven  A.M.     Let  us  suppose  it  is  a  metropolitan  after- 
noon journal  and  that  he  is  requested  to  be  in  the  office 
at  seven,  the  hour  when  the  city  editor  appears.    The  ambi- 
tious reporter  will  always  be  in  his  place  not  later  than 
6:45,  so  that  he  may  see  the  city  editor  enter. 

5.  Copy  Readers.  — When  a  reporter  appears  on  his  first 
morning,  he  will  find  a  big,  desk-crowded  room,  deserted 
except  for  two  or  three  silent  workers  reading  and  clipping 
papers  at  a  long  table.    These  men  are  known  variously  as 
the  gas-house  gang,   the  lobster  shift,   the  morning  stars, 
etc.    They  are  the  reporters  and  copy  readers  who  read  the 
morning  papers  for  stories  that  may  be  rewritten  or  followed 
up  for  publication  during  the  day.    They  have  been  on  duty 
since  two  or  three  in  the  morning  and  have  prepared  most 
of  the  material  for  the  bull-dog  edition,  the  morning  issue 
printed  some  time  between  7:00  and  10:00  A.M.  and  mainly 
rewritten  from  the  morning  papers.    On  the  entrance  of  the 
new  reporter  they  will  look  up,  direct  him  to  a  chair  where 
he  may  sit  until  the  city  editor  comes,  and  pay  no  more 
attention  to  him.     They,  or  others  who  take  their  places, 
edit  all  the  news  stories.    They  correct  spelling  and  punctua- 


6  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  PAPER 

tion,  rewrite  a  story  when  the  reporter  has  missed  the  main 
feature,  reconstruct  the  lead,  cut  out  contradictions,  dupli- 
cations, and  libelous  statements,  and  in  general  make  the 
article  conform  to  the  length  and  style  demanded  by  the 
paper;  and  having  carefully  revised  the  story,  they  write 
the  headlines  and  chute  it  to  the  composing  room.  On  the 
whole,  these  men  are  the  most  unpopular  on  the  force,  since 
they  are  subject  to  double  criticism,  from  the  editors  above 
them  and  the  reporters  whose  copy  they  correct.  The  city 
editor  and  the  managing  editor  hold  them  responsible  for 
poor  headlines,  libelous  statements,  involved  sentences,  and 
errors  generally;  the  reporters  blame  them  for  pruning  down 
their  stories,  changing  leads,  and  often  destroying  what  they 
regard  as  the  very  point  of  what  they  had  to  say. 

6.  Other  Reporters.  —  As  the  new  reporter  waits  by  the 
city  editor's  desk,  he  will  notice  the  arrival  of  the  other 
members  of  the  staff,  who  immediately  begin  their  work  for 
the  day.    One  of  these  is  the  labor  reporter.    His  business  is 
to  obtain  and  write  news  relating  to  labor  and  unions. 
Another  is  the  marine  reporter.    He  handles  all  news  relat- 
ing to  shipping,  clearing  and  docking  of  vessels,  etc.    Another 
reporter  handles  all  stories  coming  from  the  police  court. 
Another  watches  the  morgue  and  the  hospitals.     Another, 
usually  a  woman,  obtains  society  news.    Still  another  visits 
the  hotels.    And  so  the  division  of  reporters  continues  until 
all  the  sources  of  news  have  been  parceled  out. 

7.  The  City  Editor.  —  Then  the  city  editor  enters.     If 
the  reporter  wishes  to  make  good,  let  him  love  the  law  of 
the  city  editor.    He  is  the  man  to  whom  all  the  reporters 
and  some  of  the  copy  readers  are  responsible,  and  who  in 
turn  is  responsible  to  the  managing  editor  for  the  gathering 
and  preparation  of  city  news.    He  must  know  where  news 
can  be  found,  direct  the  getting  of  news,  and  see  that  it  is 
put  into  the  paper  properly.    When  news  is  abundant,  he 
must  decide  which  stories  shall  be  discarded,  and  on  those 


THE  EDITORIAL  ROOMS  7 

rarer  occasions  when  all  the  world  —  the  good  and  the  bad  — 
seems  to  have  gone  to  sleep,  he  must  know  how  to  make  news. 
Every  story  written  in  the  city  room  is  first  passed  on  by  the 
city  editor,  who  turns  it  over  to  the  copy  readers  for  correc- 
tion. Even  the  length  of  each  story  is  determined  by  him, 
and  often  the  nature  of  it,  whether  it  shall  be  humorous, 
pathetic,  tragic,  or  mysterious.  To  his  desires  and  idiosyn- 
crasies the  reporter  must  learn  quickly  to  -adapt  himself. 
Sometimes  the  city  editor  may  err.  Sometimes,  during  his 
absence,  he  may  put  in  authority  eccentric  substitutes, 
smaller  men  who  issue  arbitrary  commands  and  require 
stories  entirely  different  in  style  and  character  from  what  is 
regularly  required.  But  the  cub's  first  lesson  must  be  in 
adaptability,  willingness  to  obey  orders  and  to  accept  news 
policies  determined  by  those  in  authority.  He  must  there- 
fore follow  to  the  letter  the  wishes  of  the  city  editor  (or  his 
assistants)  and  must  always  be  loyal  to  him  and  his  plans.1 

8.  The  News  Editor.  —  As  a  reporter's  acquaintance 
grows,  he  will  come  to  know  other  editors  in  the  city  room, 
-the  news,  telegraph,  state,  market,  sporting,  literary, 
dramatic,  and  other  editors.  Of  these  the  news  editor, 
sometimes  known  also  as  the  make-up  or  the  assistant  man- 
aging editor,  is  most  important.  He  handles  all  the  tele- 
graph and  cable  copy  and  much  of  what  is  sent  in  by  mail. 
He  decides  what  position  the  stories  shall  take  in  the  paper, 
which  articles  shall  have  big  heads  and  which  little  ones, 
which  shall  be  thrown  out,  and  in  general  determines  the 
make-up  of  the  pages.  The  news  editor  is  always  a  bright 
man  of  wide  knowledge,  thoroughly  conversant  with  state 
and  national  social  and  political  movements,  and  more  or  less 
intimately  acquainted  with  all  sections  of  the  United  States. 

1  For  an  adm:  able  exposition  of  the  way  in  which  the  city  editor  handles 
his  men  and  big  stories,  the  student  is  advised  to  read  two  excellent  articles 
by  Alex.  McD.  Stoddart:  "When  a  Gaynor  is  Shot,"  Independent,  August  25, 
1910,  and  "Telling  the  Tale  of  the  Titanic,"  Independent,  May  2,  1912. 


8  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  PAPER 

9.  Telegraph   Editor.  —  Next   to   the   news   editor,    and 
usually  his  chief  assistant,  is  the  telegraph  editor.    On  some 
papers  the  two  positions  are  combined.    This  man  handles 
all  telegraph  copy  from  without  the  state,  including  that  of 
the  press  bureaus  and  special  correspondents  in  important 
American  and  European  cities.     Frequently  in  the  largest 
news  offices  there  are  as  many  as  a  dozen  telegraph  opera- 
tors who  take  his  stories  over  direct  wires.    Like  the  news 
editor,  he  must  be  a  man  of  wide  acquaintance  in  order  to 
know  the  value  of  a  story  from  a  distant  section  of  the  United 
States  or  the  world.     Since  the  outbreak  of  the  European 
war,  his  has  been  an  unusually  responsible  position  because 
of  the  immense  amount  of  war  news  and  the  necessity  of 
knowing  the  exact  importance  of  the  capture  of  a  certain 
city  or  the  fall  of  a  fort. 

10.  State  Editor.  —  Next  comes  the  state  editor,  who  is 
responsible  for  all  the  state  news  and  helps  with  the  tele- 
graph copy  and  local  news  when  it  becomes  too  bulky  for 
the  other  copy  readers  to  handle.    The  state  editor  manages 
the  correspondents  throughout  the  state  and  is  particularly 
valuable  when  his  paper  is  in  the  capital  city  or  the  metrop- 
olis of  the  state.    Most  of  his  copy  comes  by  mail  or  long- 
distance telephone  from  correspondents  residing  or  traveling 
in  the  state.    Nearly  all  this  copy  needs  editing,  coming  as 
it  does  largely  from  correspondents  on  country  dailies  and 
weeklies.    In  addition  to  editing  stories  sent  in  by  corre- 
spondents, the  state  editor  keeps  a  space  book,  from  which 
he  makes  to  the  cashier  in  the  business  office  a  weekly  or 
monthly  report  of  the  amount  of  material  contributed  by 
each  correspondent. 

11.  Sporting  Editor.  -  -  Unless  given  a  place  in  the  sport- 
ing department,  the  reporter  will  not  soon  meet  the  sporting 
editor,  who,  with  his  assistants,  is  usually  honored  with  a 
room  to  himself  and  is  independent  of  the  city  editor.    But 
some  day,  by  accident  perhaps,  the  cub  wiH  get  a  peep 


THE  EDITORIAL  ROOMS  9 

through  a  door  across  the  hallway  into  a  veritable  den. 
That  is  the  sporting  room.  The  four  walls  are  covered  with 
cuts  of  Willard,  Gotch,  Johnston,  Mathewson,  Travers, 
Hoppe,  and  dozens  of  other  celebrities  in  the  realm  of  sports. 
There  the  sporting  editor  —  often  a  man  who  has  been  prom- 
inent in  college  athletics  —  reigns.  Because  of  the  intense 
interest  in  sports  he  must  publish  the  news  of  his  depart- 
ment promptly,  and  in  consequence  he  often  is  privileged  to 
make  expenditures  more  freely  than  other  editors.  The 
sporting  editor  of  a  big  daily  must  be  an  authority  in  athletic 
matters  and  should  be  able  to  decide  on  the  instant,  without 
looking  up  the  book  of  regulations,  any  question  relating  to 
athletic  rules  or  records. 

12.  Exchange  Editor.  —  Another  editor,  who  usually  will 
be  discovered  in  a  room  by  himself,  is  the  exchange  editor. 
He  will  be  found  all  but  buried  in  piles  of  exchanges,  now 
and  then  clipping  a  story  not  covered  on  the  wires,  an  edi- 
torial, a  criticism  of  his  own  paper,  or  a  comment  of  any  kind 
that  may  be  worth  copying  or  following  up.    He  must  know 
thoroughly  the  bias  of  his  paper,  to  know  what  to  clip  and 
publish.     Favorable  references   to  his  paper  he  reprints. 
Criticisms  he  refers  to  the  managing  editor,  who  reads  them 
and  throws  them  into  the  waste  basket,  or  else  keeps  them 
for  a  reply  in  a  later  issue.    Most  of  the  jokes,  anecdotes  of 
famous  men  and  women,  stories  of  minor  inventions  and 
discoveries,  and  timely  articles  relating  to  current  events, 
fashions,  beliefs,  etc.,  published  on  the  editorial  page  and 
in  the  feature  sections  of  the  Sunday  issue,  are  the  result 
of  the  exchange  editor's  long  hours  of  patient  reading  of 
newspapers  mailed  from  every  section  of  the  United  States. 

13.  The   Morgue.  —  One   of   the   chief   duties   of  many 
exchange  editors  is  to  supply  the  morgue  with  material  for 
its  files.     The  morgue,  sometimes  called  the  library,  is  an 
important  adjunct  of  every  newspaper  office.     In  it  are 
kept,  perhaps  ready  for  printing,  obituaries  of  well-known 


io  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  PAPER 

. 

men,  stories  of  their  rise  to  prominence,  pictures  of  them 
and  their  families,  accounts  of  great  discoveries,  inventions, 
and  disasters,  and  facts  on  every  conceivable  newspaper 
topic,  —  all  ready  for  hasty  reference  or  use.  If  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  were  to  drop  dead  from  apoplexy, 
the  papers  would  have  on  the  streets  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour's 
time  columns  of  stories  giving  his  whole  career.  When  the 
steamer  Eastland  turned  over  in  the  Chicago  River,  causing 
the  death  of  900  persons,  the  papers  published  in  their  regular 
editions  boxed  summaries  of  all  previous  ship  disasters.  When 
Willard  knocked  out  Johnson  at  Havana,  reviews  of  Wil- 
lard's  and  Johnson's  ring  careers  were  printed  in  numerous 
dailies.  All  such  stories  are  procured  from  the  morgue, 
from  files  supplied  mainly  by  the  exchange  editor.  In  some 
of  the  larger  offices,  however,  these  files  are  maintained 
independently  of  the  exchange  editor,  and  are  under  the 
charge  of  the  librarian  and  a  staff  of  assistants  who  keep 
catalogued  lists  of  all  maps,  cuts,  photographs,  and  clip- 
pings. On  a  moment's  notice  these  may  be  obtained  for  use 
in  the  paper. 

14.  Other  Editors.  — -  Other  editors,  who  may  be  passed 
with  brief  mention  because  of  their  minor  importance  in 
this  volume,  are  the  market,  dramatic,  literary,  and  society 
editors,  and  the  editorial  writers.  The  market  editor  handles 
all  matters  of  a  financial  nature.  Sometimes  on  the  largest 
dailies  there  are  both  a  market  and  a  financial  editor,  but 
usually  the  work  is  combined  under  a  single  man  whose 
duties  are  to  keep  in  close  touch  with  markets,  banks,  manu- 
factories, and  large  mercantile  companies,  and  to  write  up 
simply  and  accurately  from  day  to  day  the  financial  condi- 
tion of  the  city  and  the  country.  The  duty  of  the  literary 
editor  is  often  little  more  than  book  reviewing.  Frequently 
he  does  not  have  an  office  in  the  building,  and  on  small  papers 
his  only  remuneration  is  the  gift  of  the  book  he  reviews. 
The  society  editor,  in  addition  to  reporting  notes  of  the  social 


THE  EDITORIAL  ROOMS  II 

world,  generally  handles  fashion  stories,  answers  letters  re- 
garding etiquette,  love,  and  marriage,  and  edits  all  material 
for  the  woman's  page.  The  work  of  the  editorial  writers  is 
explained  by  their  name.  They  quit  work  at  all  sorts  of 
hours,  take  two  hours  off  for  lunch,  and  are  known  in  the 
city  room  as  "highbrows."  But  many  an  editorial  writer 
who  comes  to  work  at  nine  in  the  morning  has  worked  very 
late  the  night  before,  searching  for  facts  utilized  in  a  half- 
column  of  editorial  matter. 

15.  Cartoonists   and   Photographers.  -  -  The   business   of 
the  cartoonist  is  to  draw  one  cartoon  a  day  upon  some 
timely  civic  or  political  subject.     He  is  responsible  to  the 
managing  editor.     Under  him   are   other  cartoonists  who 
illustrate  individual  stories  or  do  cartoon  work  for  special 
departments  of  the  paper.    The  sporting  editor  has  one  such 
man,  and  the  city  editor  has  one  or  two.    Finally,  there  are 
the  photographers,  subject  to  the  city  editor,  who  rush  hither 
and  thither  to  all  parts  of  the  city  and  state,  taking  scenes 
valuable  for  cuts. 

16.  The  Managing  Editor.  -  -  The  men  whose  work  we 
have  been  discussing  thus  far  are  those  whom  the  reporter 
meets  in  his  daily  work.     Above  all  these  is  an  executive 
officer  whom  the  cub  reporter  rarely  sees,  —  the  managing 
editor,  who  has  general  supervision  over  all  the  news  and 
editorial  departments  of  the  paper.     He  does  little  writing 
or  editing  himself,  his  time  being  taken  up  with  adminis- 
trative duties.    All  unusual  expenditures  are  submitted  for 
his  approval.     The  size  and  make-up  of  the  paper,  which 
varies  greatly  from  day  to  day  on  the  large  dailies,  is  a  matter 
for  his  final  decision.    The  cartoonist  submits  to  him  rough 
drafts  of  contemplated  drawings.    The  city,  telegraph,  and 
news    editors    confer    with    him    about    getting    important 
stories.    The  Sunday  editor  consults  with  him  with  regard 
to  special  features.     To  him  is  submitted  a  proof  of  every 
story,  which  he  reads  for  possible  libel  and  for  general  effect- 


12  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  PAPER 

iveness.  Now  and  then  he  returns  a  story  to  the  city  editor 
to  be  lengthened  or  to  be  pruned  down.  Occasionally  he 
may  kill  an  article.  Always  he  is  working  at  top  speed, 
from  the  time  he  gets  to  his  office  at  8:00  A.M.,  or  2:00  P.M., 
until  he  sits  down  to  compare  his  paper  with  the  first  edition 
of  rival  publications.  For  the  managing  editor  scrutinizes 
with  minute  care  every  daily  in  the  city,  and  when  he  finds 
anything  to  his  paper's  discredit,  he  begins  an  immediate 
investigation  to  learn  how  the  slip  happened  and  who 
was  responsible. 

17.  Editor-in-Chief.  —  Above  the  managing  editor  is  the 
editor-in-chief,  often  the  owner  of  the  paper.     Of  him  the 
sub-editors  say  that  his  chief  business  is  playing  golf  and 
smoking  fat  cigars.    As  a  matter  of  fact,  his  duties  are  at 
once  the  most  and  the  least  exacting  of  any  on  the  paper. 
He  is  either  the  owner  or  the  personal  representative  of  the 
owner,  who  looks  to  him  for  the  execution  of  his  policies. 
But  since  such  policies  necessarily  must  be  subject  to  the 
most  liberal  interpretation,  the  final  responsibility  of  the 
editorial  rooms  falls  on  the  shoulders  of  the  editor-in-chief. 
To  make  known  the  plans  of  the  paper,  the  editor-in-chief 
holds  with  the  editorial  writers,  the  managing  editor,  and  the 
city  editor  weekly,  sometimes  daily,  meetings,  at  which  are 
discussed  all  matters  of  doubt  or  dissatisfaction  relating  to 
the  editorial  rooms. 

18.  Conclusion.  —  In    conclusion,    then,    we    have    the 
editor-in-chief,  who  is  responsible  for  the  general  policies 
of  the  paper.     Immediately  beneath  him  is  the  managing 
editor,  who  executes  the  editor-in-chief's  orders.     Respon- 
sible to  the  editor-in-chief  or  the  managing  editor  are  the 
editorial  writers,  the  news,  city,  sporting,  exchange,  liter- 
ary, and  dramatic  editors,  and  the  cartoonist.    Beneath  the 
city  editor  are  a  few  of  the  copy  readers  and  all  the  reporters. 
Such  is  the  organization  of  the  editorial  staff  of  a  typical 
metropolitan  newspaper. 


III.    THE  MECHANICAL  DEPARTMENT 

19.  Division.  —  Beyond  the  editorial  rooms  is  the  me- 
chanical department,  with  which  every  reporter  should  be, 
but    rarely    ever    is,    acquainted.     Because   of    the  heavy 
machinery  necessary  for  preparing  and  printing  a  paper, 
the  mechanical  department  is  often  found  in  the  basement. 
This  department  is  divisible  into  three  sub-departments, 
the  composing  room,  the  stereotyping  room,  and  the  press 
room. 

20.  The  Copy  Cutter.  —  When  a  story  has  been  revised 
by  the  copy  reader  and  given  proper  headlines,  it  is  turned 
over  to  the  head  copy  reader  or  the  news  editor,  who  glances 
over  it  hastily  to  see  that  all  is  rightly  done  and  chutes  it 
in  a  pneumatic  tube  to  the  basket  on  the  copy  cutter's  table 
or  desk  in  the  composing  room.     The  copy  cutter  in  turn 
glances  at  the  headlines  and  the  two  or  three  pages  of  copy, 
and  records  the  story  upon  a  ruled  blank  on  his  desk.    Then 
he  clips  the  headlines  and.  sends  them  by  a  copy  distributor 
to  the  headline  machine  to  be  set  up.    The  two  or  three  pages 
of  copy  he  cuts  into  three  or  four  or  five  "takes,"  puts  the 
slug  number  or  name  on  each,  and  sends  the  "takes'7  to 
different  compositors,  so  that  the  whole  story  may  be  set 
up  more  quickly  than  if  it  were  given  all  to  one  man.    If 
the  time  before  going  to  press  is  very  short,  the  pages  may 
be  cut  into  more  takes.    The  slug  names,  sometimes  called 
guide  or  catch  lines,  are  marked  on  each  take  to  enable  the 
bank-men  to  assemble  readily  all  the  parts  after  they  have 
been  set  in  type. 

21.  The  Linotype   Machine.  —  Each  compositor  on  re- 


I4  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  PAPER 

ceiving  his  take  places  it  on  the  copy-holder  of  his  linotype 
or  monotype  machine  and  begins  composing  it  into  type. 
The  linotype  machine  consists  of  a  keyboard  not  unlike 
that  of  the  typewriter,  which  actuates  a  magazine  contain- 
ing matrices  or  countersunk  letter  molds,  together  with  a 
casting  mechanism  for  producing  lines  or  bars  of  words. 
By  touching  the  keys,  the  compositor  releases  letter  by 
letter  an  entire  line  of  matrices,  which  are  mustered  auto- 
matically into  the  assembling-stick  at  the  left  and  above 
the  keyboard,  ready  to  be  molded  into  a  line  of  type.  When 
the  assembling-stick  is  full  of  matrices,  enough  to  make  a 
full  line,  the  operator  is  warned,  as  on  the  typewriter,  by 
the  ringing  of  a  tiny  bell.  The  machinist  then  pulls  a  lever, 
which  releases  molten  lead  on  the  line  of  matrices  and  casts 
a  slug  of  metal  Representing  the  letters  he  has  just  touched 
on  the  keys.  The  machine  cuts  and  trims  this  slug  of  lead 
to  an  exact  size,  conveys  it  to  the  receiving  galley  for  finished 
lines,  and  returns  the  matrices  to  their  proper  places  in  the 
magazine  for  use  in  a  succeeding  line.  When  the  operator 
has  composed  twenty  or  twenty-five  of  these  slugs,  his  take 
is  completed.  He  then  removes  the  slugs  from  their  holder, 
wraps  them  in  the  manuscript,  and  sends  them  to  the  bank 
to  be  assembled  with  the  other  takes  of  the  same  story. 
The  proof  of  the  compositor's  take  looks  something  like  the 
matter  at  the  top  of  the  next  page. 

The  big  three's  are  the  compositor's  slug  number.  This 
take  was  set  up  by  the  workman  operating  machine  number 
3.  The  Loops  is  the  catch  line,  or  slug  name,  by  which  the 
story  is  known,  every  take  of  the  story  being  named  Loops, 
so  that  the  bank-men  may  easily  get  the  parts  of  the  story 
together.  The  letters  at  the  right  of  Loops,  in  the  same  line, 
are  merely  any  letters  that  the  compositor  has  set  up  at 
random  by  tapping  the  linotype  keys  to  fill  out  the  line. 


THE  MECHANICAL  DEPARTMENT      15 


THREE          THREE 

LOOPS )     rna..8an 

ARMY   BIRDMEN  BREAK 

RECORDS  FOR  LOOPS 


San  Diego,  Cal.,  Sept.  25.  —  Sergt.  William 
Ocher  and  Corporal  Albert  Smith,  attached  to 
the  United  States  army  aviation  corps  at  North 
Island,  made  fifteen  loops  each  while  engaged  in 
flights,  shattering  army  and  navy  aviation 
records.  Both  officers  used  the  same  machine 
equipped  with  a  ninety  horsepower  motor,  and 
designed  for  long  distance  flying. 

This  take,  which  was  picked  up  at  random  in  the  editorial 
rooms  of  the  Milwaukee  Journal,  was  followed  by  this: 


SEVEN  SEVEN 

Folo  Loops ETAOIN 

FALLS   1,000  FEET,  UNHURT. 


Omaha,  Sept.  25.  —  Francis  Hoover,  Chicago 
aviator,  fell  1,000  feet  at  David  City,  Neb.  He 
alighted  in  a  big  tank  and  was  not  injured. 

The  compositor  in  this  case  was  at  machine  number  7,  and 
the  slug  name  given  the  story  was  Folo  Loops:  that  is,  it 
was  a  follow  story,  to  come  after  the  one  slugged  Loops. 

22.  The  Proofs.  —  On  receipt  of  the  different  takes  by 
the  bank-man,  the  various  parts  of  the  story  are  assembled, 
with  the  proper  head,  in  a  long  brass  receptacle  called  a 
galley,  and  the  first,  or  galley,  proof  is  "pulled"  on  the  proof 
press,  a  small  hand  machine.  Three  proofs  are  made.  One 
goes  to  the  managing  editor,  on  whom  rests  responsibility 
for  every  story  in  the  paper;  one  to  the  news  editor;  and  one, 
with  the  original  copy,  to  the  head  proofreader,  who  is  re- 


1 6  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  PAPER 

sponsible  for  all  typographical  errors.  The  head  proofreader 
in  turn  gives  the  proof  to  an  assistant  and  the  manuscript 
to  a  copyholder,  who  reads  the  story  to  the  assistant  for  the 
detection  of  typographical  errors.  A  corrected  galley  proof 
will  be  returned  in  the  form  shown  in  the  specimen  proof 
sheet  printed  on  page  276. 

23.  The  Form.  —  After  all  corrections  have  been  made 
and  the  position  of  the  story  in  the  paper  has  been  deter- 
mined by  the  news  editor,  it  is  inserted  in  its  proper  place 
among  other  articles  which  together  make  up  a  page  of  type, 
or  what  printers  know  as  a  form.    This  form  is  locked  in  an 
enveloping  steel  frame,  called  a  chase,  and  carried  to  the 
stereotyping  room,  the  second  department  in  the  mechan- 
ical composition  of  the  paper.    In  the  small  newspaper  offices, 
the  sheet  is  printed  directly  from  the  form.    But  since  the 
leaden  letters  begin  to  blur  after  15,000  impressions  have 
been  made,  and  since  it  has  been  found  impossible  to  do  fast 
printing  from  flat  surfaces,  it  is  necessary  for  the  larger  papers 
to  cast  from  four  to  twelve  stereotyped  plates  of  each  page. 

24.  Stereotyping  Process.  — These  stereotyped  plates  are 
circular  or  semicircular  in  shape,  so  that  they  fit  snugly  on 
the  press  cylinders.     They  are  made  in  the  following  way: 
When  the  form  is  brought  into  the  stereotyping  room,  it  is 
placed,  face  up,  on  the  flat  bed  of  a  strongly  built  press. 
Over  the  face  of  the  columns  of  type  are  spread  several 
layers  of  tissue  paper  pasted  together.    Upon  the  paper  is 
laid  a  damp  blanket,  and  a  heavy  revolving  steel  drum  sub- 
jects the  whole  to  hundreds  of  pounds  of  pressure,  thus 
squeezing  the  face  of  the  type  into  the  texture  of  the  moist 
paper.    Intense  heat  is  then  applied  by  a  steam  drier,  so  that 
within  a  few  seconds  the  moisture  has  been  baked  entirely 
from  the  paper,  which  emerges  a  stiff  flat  matrix  of  the  type 
in  the  form. 

25.  The  Autoplate.  -  -  This  matrix  in  turn  is  bent  to  the 
shape  of  the  impressing  cylinder  that  later  stamps  the  page, 


THE  MECHANICAL  DEPARTMENT      17 

and  is  put  into  an  autoplate,  or  casting  machine,  which 
presses  molten  metal  upon  the  paper  matrix,  cools  the  metal, 
and  turns  out  in  a  few  moments  the  finished,  cylindrical 
plates  ready  to  be  put  on  the  press  for  printing.  Duplicates 
follow  at  intervals  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  seconds,  so  that 
several  impressions  of  the  same  page  may  be  made  at  once 
in  the  press  room  and  the  whole  paper  printed  more  quickly 
than  if  a  single  impression  of  a  page  were  made  at  one  time. 

26.  The  Press  Room.  -  -  The  press  room,  the  third  and 
final  stage  in  the  mechanical  composition  of  the  paper,  is 
where  the  printing  is  done  on  highly  complicated  machines. 
The  larger  the  number  of  pages  of  the  paper  printed,  the 
more  complicated  the  presses,  the  marvel  of  them  being 
their  adaptability  to  running  full,  or  half,  or  third  capacity, 
according  to  the  needed  output,  or  to  printing  a  double  or 
triple  number  of  small  sized  papers  in  a  third  or  half  the 
usually  required  time.    The  large  presses  of  the  great  dailies 
print,  fold,  cut,  paste,  and  count,  according  to  the  size  of 
the  sheet,  50,000  to  125,000  papers  an  hour.    A  double  sex- 
tuple press  has  a  limit  of  144,000  twelve-page  papers  an 
hour. 

27.  The  Printing  Press.  —  It  is  on  the  cylinders  of  these 
presses  that  the  circular  stereotyped  plates  are  fitted,  two 
plates  filling  nicely  the  round  of  the  cylinder.    All  the  plates 
for  the  inside  pages  of  the  paper  are  stereotyped  and  screwed 
on  their  cylinders  a  half-hour  or  more  before  press  time,  the 
pages  with  the  latest  news  being  held  until  the  last  possible 
moment.     Usually  the  last  page  to  come  is  the  title  page, 
and  as  soon  as  the  last  locking  lever  has  been  clamped,  the 
wheels  of  the  big  press  begin  to  turn.    As  the  cylinders  with 
their  plates  revolve,   raised  letters  on  the  surface  of  the  plate 
come  in  contact,  first  with  the  inked  rollers,  then  with  the 
paper,  which  is  spun  from  large  rolls  and  drawn  through  the 
press,  obtaining  as  it  goes  the  impression  of  the  pages  of 
type.     As  the  printed  ribbon  of  paper  issues  from  beneath 


1 8  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  PAPER 

the  cylinders,  it  is  cut  into  pages,  folded,  and  counted, 
ready  for  the  circulation  department.  The  whole  period  of 
time  elapsing  between  the  chute  of  the  last  story  from  the 
city  room  and  the  delivery  of  the  printed  pages  to  the  news- 
boys will  not  have  exceeded  ten  minutes. 

28.  Speed  in  Printing.  —  Even  this  brief  time  is  materi- 
ally cut  when  great  stories  break.    The  result  of  the  Willard- 
Johnson  fight  in  1915  and  all  the  details  up  to  the  last  few 
rounds  were  cried  on  the  streets  of  New  York  within  two 
minutes  after  Johnson  had  been  knocked  out  in  Havana. 
This  was  made  possible  by  means  of  the  "fudge,"  a  device 
especially  designed  for  late  news.     This  is  a  small  printing 
cylinder,  upon  which  is  fitted  a  diminutive  curved  chase 
capable  of  holding  a  few  linotype  slugs.    When  the  fudge  is 
used,  a  stereotyped  front  page  of  the  paper  is  ripped  open 
and  a  prominent  blank  space  left,  so  that  if  the  press  were 
to  print  now,  the  paper  would  appear  with  a  large  unprinted 
space  on  its  front  page.    To  this  blank  space,  however,  the 
fudge  is  keyed,  so  that  as  the  web  of  paper  passes  the  main 
cylinder,  the  little  emergency  cylinder  makes  its  impression 
and  the  page  appears  to  all  appearances  printed  from  a 
single  cylinder. 

29.  Speed  Devices.  —  The  value  of  the  fudge,  of  course, 
is  that,  by  printing  directly  from  the  linotype  slugs,   it 
saves  the  time  expended  in  stereotyping.    Its  speed,  too,  is 
increased  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  every  great  newspaper 
has  in  the  press  room  near  the  fudge  a  composing  machine  to 
which  a  special  telegraph  wire  is  run,  and  a  special  operator 
to  read  the  news  direct  from  the  wire  to  the  compositor. 
This  enables  the  papers  to  meet  the  baseball  crowd  on  its 
way  home  with  extras  giving  full  details  of  all  the  plays,  and 
during  the  last  quarter  of  the  football  game  to  sell  in  the 
bleachers  a  complete  account  to  the  end  of  the  first  half. 
But  even  this  speed  is  not  always  sufficient.    Where  the  out- 
come of  a  big  piece  of  news  may  be  predicted,  advance  head- 


THE  MECHANICAL  DEPARTMENT  19 

lines  are  set  up  and  held  ready  to  be  clamped  on  the  press. 
In  the  case  of  the  Willard- Johnson  fight,  two  heads  were 
held  awaiting  the  knockout:  JESS  WILLARD  NEW. 
CHAMPIONand  JACK  JOHNSON  RETAINS  TITLE. 
When  President  McKinley  died  in  September,  1901,  one 
prominent  Milwaukee  newspaper  man  held  locked  on  his 
presses  from  8:00  A.M.  until  the  President  died  at  mid- 
night the  plates  that  would  print  the  whole  story  of  Mr. 
McKinley's  life,  assassination,  and  death.  Then  when  the 
flash  came  announcing  the  dreaded  event,  the  presses  were 
started,  and  ten  seconds  afterward  newsboys  were  crying 
the  death  of  the  President  of  the  United  States.  Such  are 
some  of  the  devices  editors  use  to  publish  news  in  the  shortest 
possible  time. 


IV.    THE  BUSINESS  DEPARTMENT 

30.  Divisions  of  the  Business  Department.  —  When  the 
paper  issues  from  the  press,  it  passes  into  the  hands  of  the 
circulation  manager,  whose  duties  are  in  an  entirely  differ- 
ent department  of  the  newspaper  organization,  —  the  busi- 
ness department.    This  department  is  divided  into  two  or 
three  more  or  less  closely  connected  divisions,  presided  over 
by  the  circulation  manager,  the  advertising  manager,  and 
the  cashier.    Oyer  all  these  is  the  business  manager,  who 
supervises  the  department  as  a  whole. 

31.  The  Circulation  Manager.  -  -  The  work  of  the  circu- 
lation manager  has  been  termed  simple  by  outsiders.     But 
the  simplicity  exists  only  for  outsiders.    The  distribution  of 
a  hundred  thousand  to  a  million  papers  a  day  is  not  a  small 
task  in  itself,  particularly  when  one  considers  the  scores  of 
trains  to  be  caught,  the  dozens  of  delivery  wagons  and  wagon 
drivers  to  be  guided,  and  the  hundreds  of  newsboys  and  news- 
stands to  be  supplied  with  the  very  latest  editions  at  the 
very  earliest  moment.    Yet  the  circulation  manager's  duties 
are  even  more  multifarious  than  this.     All  the  canvassers 
for  new  subscriptions  are  under  his  supervision.    The  organi- 
zation of  the  newsboys  for  selling  his  paper  is  his  duty,  — 
and  it  is  marvelous  how  the  good-will  of  the  newsboys,  even 
when  they  handle  all  rival  publications,  can  boost  the  sales 
of  some  particular  circulation  manager's  papers.    The  adver- 
tising of  the  paper's  past  and  forthcoming  news  features, 
such  as  stories  by  special  writers,  exclusive  dispatches,  etc., 
are  the  brunt  of  his  work,  because  in  so  far  as  he  makes 
people  believe  in  the  superiority  of  his  news,  they  will  buy 
the  papers.     Even  the  outcries  against  public  grievances  and 


THE  BUSINESS  DEPARTMENT  21 

the  publication  of  subscription  lists  for  charitable  purposes 
are  often  the  thoughts  of  the  circulation  manager,  because 
they  invite  more  readers.  Some  managers,  under  the  guise 
of  helping  the  down-and-outs,  even  publish  free  all  "  Situa- 
tions Wanted"  advertisements,  because  they  believe  that  the 
loss  in  advertising  will  be  more  than  paid  for  by  the  gain 
in  the  number  of  readers,  with  the  resultant  possibility  of 
higher  advertising  rates  or  more  advertising  in  other  depart- 
ments because  of  the  increased  circulation. 

32.  The  Advertising  Manager.  —  Closely  associated  with 
the  circulation  manager  is  the  advertising  manager,  who  is 
dependent  upon  the  former  for  his  rates.  It  makes  a  great 
difference  with  the  advertising  manager's  rates  whether  the 
circulation  is  a  hundred  thousand  or  a  quarter  of  a  million, 
and  whether  the  circulation  is  double  or  one  half  that  of  the 
rival  morning  publication.  The  advertising  manager's  duties 
are  as  manifold  as  those  of  his  associate.  He  directs  the  adver- 
tising solicitors  and  advises  prospective  advertisers  about  the 
place,  prices,  space,  and  character  of  their  advertisements. 
A  chewing  tobacco  ad  is  worth  little  in  the  column  bordering 
the  society  section;  the  back  page  is  far  more  valuable  for 
advertising  than  the  inside;  and  the  columns  next  to  reading 
matter  are  worth  more  than  those  on  a  page  filled  only  with 
advertisements.  The  advertising  manager,  too,  has  the 
power  of  accepting  or  rejecting  advertisements.  Liquor, 
soothing  syrup,  and  questionable  ads  are  barred  by  many 
managers.  Some  will  not  even  accept  so-called  personal  ads. 
Yet  at  the  same  time  that  they  are  rejecting  ads  in  this 
class,  such  managers  are  straining  every  point  to  gain  desir- 
able ones.  One  way  of  obtaining  these  is  by  advertising 
solicitors.  Another  is  by  advertising  in  one's  own  paper  and 
in  publications  in  other  cities.  Many  of  the  metropolitan 
dailies  exchange  whole  and  half-page  advertisements,  direct- 
ing attention  to  their  circulation  figures  and  the  number  of 
agate  lines  of  advertising  matter  printed  within  the  preced- 


22  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  PAPER 

ing  month  or  year.  Some  of  these  papers  publish  audited 
statements,  too,  of  the  relative  number  of  advertising  lines 
printed  by  their  own  and  rival  publications.  But  the  advan- 
tage is  always  in  their  own  favor. 

33.  The  Cashier.  —  The  third  division  of  the  business 
department  is  the  cashier's  office,  frequently  known  as  the 
counting  room.  Briefly  put,  the  cashier  directs  the  pay-roll 
and  all  receipts  and  disbursements  of  the  paper.  He  keeps 
the  books  of  the  publishing  company.  From  him  the  reporter 
receives  his  pay  envelop,  and  to  him  are  sent  all  bills  for 
paper,  ink,  machinery,  telegraph  and  telephone  messages, 
and  similar  expenses.  Rarely  has  the  cashier  served  an 
apprenticeship  in  the  editorial  department,  but  he  knows 
thoroughly  the  v  business  of  bookkeeping,  money  changing, 
banking,  and  similar  work,  which  is  all  that  is  required  in 
his  position. 


PART    II 
THE    NEWS    STORY 


I 


THE   NEWS   STORY 
V.    WHAT  NEWS  IS 

34.  Essentials   of  News  Writing.  -  -  To  write  successful 
news  stories,  four  requisites  are  necessary:    the  power  to 
estimate  news  Values  properly,  the  stories  to  write,  the  abil- 
ity to  work  rapidly,  and  the  power  to  present  facts  accurately 
and  interestingly. 

35.  The  "Nose  for  News." — Recognition  of  news  values 
is  put  first  in  the  tabulation  of  requirements  for  successful 
writing  because  without  a  "nose  for  news" — without  the 
ability  to  recognize  a  story  when  one  sees  it  —  a  reporter 
cannot  hope  to  succeed.    Editorial  rooms  all  over  the  United*' 
States  are  full  of  stories  of  would-be  reporters  who  have 
failed  because  they  have  not  been  able  to  recognize  news. 
The  following  is  a  genuine  first  paragraph  of  a  country  cor- 
respondent's letter  to  a  village  weekly  in  Tennessee: 

There  is  no  news  in  this  settlement  to  speak 
of.  We  did  hear  of  a  man  whose  head  was 
blown  off  by  a  boiler  explosion,  but  we  didn't 
have  time  to  learn  his  name.  Anyhow  he 
didn't  have  any  kinfolk  in  this  country,  so  it 
don't  much  matter. 

Then  follow  the  usual  dull  items  about  Henry  Hawkins 
Sundaying  in  Adamsville  and  Tom  Anderson  autoing  with  a 
new  girl. 

36.  Need  of  Knowing  News.  -  -  The  fault  with  this  cor- 
respondent was  that  .he  did  not  know  a  good  story.     He 
lacked  an  intuitive  knowledge  of  news  values,  and  he  had 


26  THE  NEWS  STORY 

not  been  trained  to  recognize  available  news  possibilities. 
A  clear  understanding  of  what  news  is,  and  an  analysis  of  its 
more  or  less  elusive  qualities,  is  necessary,  therefore,  before 
one  may  attempt  a  search  for  it  or  may  dare  the  writing  of 
a  newspaper  story. 

37.  Definition  of  News.  —  In  its  final  analysis,  news  may 
be  defined  as  any  accurate  fact  or  idea  that  will  interest  a 
large  number  of  readers;  and  of  two  stories  the  accurate  one 
that  interests  the  greater  number  of  people  is  the  better. 
The  student  should  examine  this  definition  with  care  as  there 
is  more  in  it  than  at  first  appears.    Strangeness,  abnormality, 
unexpectedness,  nearness  of  the  events,  all  add  to  the  inter- 
est of  a  story,  but  none  is  essential.    Even  timeliness  is  not 
a  prerequisite.    If  it  were  learned  to-day  that  a  member  of 
the  United  States  Senate  had  killed  a  man  in  1912,  the  occur- 
rence would  be  news  and  would  be  carried  on  the  front  page 
of  every  paper  in  America,  even  though  the  deed  were  com- 
mitted years  ago.    And  if  it  should  transpire  that  Csolgosz 
was  bribed  by  an  American  millionaire  to  assassinate  Presi- 
dent McKinley  in  1901,  the  story  would  be  good  for  a  column 
in  any  paper.    Freshness,  enormity,  departure  from  the  nor- 
mal, all  are  good  and  add  to  the  value  of  news,  but  they  are 
not  essential.     The   only  requirements   are  that   the  story 
shall  be  accurate  and  shall  contain  facts  or  ideas  interesting 
to  a  considerable  number  of  readers. 

38.  Accuracy. —  The  reason  for  emphasizing  so  particu- 
larly the  need  of  accuracy  in  news  requires  little  discussion. 
Accuracy  First  is  the  slogan  of  the  modern  newspaper.    If  a 
piece  of  news,  no  matter  how  thrilling,  is  untrue,  it  is  worth- 
less in  the  columns  of  a  reputable  journal.    It  is  worse  than 
worthless,  because  it  makes  the  public  lose  confidence  in 
the  paper.    And  the  ideal  of  all  first-class  newspapers  to-day 
is  never  to  be  compelled  to  retract  a  published  statement. 
This  desire  for  accuracy  does  not  bar  a  paper  from  publish- 
ing, for  example,  a  rumor  of  the  assassination  of  the  Ger- 


WHAT  NEWS  IS  27 

man  Crown  Prince,  but  it  does  demand  that  the  report  be 
published  only  as  an  unverified  rumor. 

39.  Interest.  —  The  statement,  however,  that  interest  is 
the  other  requisite  of  news  requires  full  explanation,  because 
the  demand  immediately  comes  for  an  explanation  of  that 
elusive  quality  in  news  which  makes  it  interesting.  In  other 
words,  what  constitutes  interest?  Any  item  of  news,  it  may 
be  defined,  that  will  present  a  new  problem,  a  new  situation, 
that  will  provoke  thought  in  the  minds  of  a  considerable 
number  of  readers,  is  interesting,  and  that  story  is  most 
interesting  which  presents  a  new  problem  to  the  greatest 
number  of  people.  It  is  a  psychological  truth  that  all  men 
think  only  when  they  must.  Yet  they  enjoy  being  made  to 
think,  —  not  too  hard,  but  hard  enough  to  engage  their 
minds  seriously.  The  first  time  they  meet  a  problem  they 
think  over  it,  and  think  hard  if  need  be.  But  when  they  meet 
that  problem  a  second  or  a  third  time,  they  solve  it  automat- 
ically. A  man  learning  to  drive  a  car  has  presented  to  him  a 
new  problem  about  which  he  must  think  keenly.  The  steer- 
ing wheel,  the  foot-brake,  the  accelerator,  the  brake  and 
speed  levers,  the  possibility  of  touching  the  wrong  pedal,  - 
all  demand  his  undivided  attention  and  keep  him  thinking 
every  moment  of  the  time.  But  having  learned,  having 
solved  his  problem,  he  can  run  his  car  without  conscipus 
thought,  and  meanwhile  can  devote  his  mind  to  problems 
of  business  or  pleasure.  As  Professor  Pitkin  says} 

Whatsoever  we  can  manage  through  some  other 
agency  we  do  so  manage.  And,  if  thinking  is  impera- 
tive for  a  while,  we  make  that  while  as  brief  as  possible. 
The  baby  thinks  in  learning  to  walk,  but  as  soon  as  his 
feet  move  surely  he  refrains  from  cogitation.  He 
thinks  over  his  speech,  too,  but  quickly  he  outgrows 
that,  transforming  discourse  from  an  intellectual 
performance  to  a  reflex  habit.  And  he  never  thinks 
about  the  order  and  choice  of  words  again,  unless  they 


28  THE  NEWS  STORY 

give  rise  to  some  new,  unforeseen  perplexity;  as,  for 
instance,  they  might,  were  he  suddenly  afflicted  with 
stammering  or  stage  fright.  This  is  no  scandal,  it  is 
a  great  convenience.  Thanks  to  it,  men  are  able  to 
concern  themselves  with  fresh  enterprises  and  hence 
to  progress.  Indeed,  civilization  is  a  titanic  monu- 
ment to  thoughtlessness,  no  less  than  to  thought. 
The  supreme  triumph  of  mind  is  to  dispense  with 
itself.  For  what  would  intellect  avail  us,  if  we  could 
not  withdraw  it  from  action  in  all  the  habitual  en- 
counters of  daily  life?  l 

40.  What  Provokes  Thought  is  News.  —  Men  apply  the 
same  principle,  too,  in  their  news  reading.     Whatever  pre- 
sents a  new  problem,  or  injects  a  new  motive  or  situation 
into  an  old  one,  will  be  interesting  and  will  be  read  by  those 
readers  to  whom  the  problem  or  situation  is  new.    It  is  not, 
therefore,  that  American  men  and  women  are  interested  in 
the  sins  and  misfortunes  of  others  that  they  read  stories  of 
crime  and  unhallowed  love,  but  that  such  stories  present 
new  problems,  new  life  situations,  or  new  phases  of  old 
problems  and  old  situations.     A  story  of  innocence  and 
hallowed  love  would  be  just  as  interesting.    When  the  news- 
papers of  the  United  States  make  the  President's  wedding 
the  big  story  of  the  day,  it  is  not  that  they  think  their  patrons 
have  never  seen  a  wedding,  but  that  a  wedding  under  just 
such  circumstances  has  never  been  presented  before.     And 
every  published  story  of  murder  or  divorce  or  struggle  for 
victory  offers   new   thought-provoking  problems   to   news- 
paper readers.    Men  are  continually  searching  for  new  situa- 
tions that  will  present  new  problems.    And  any  story  that 
will  provoke  a  reader's  thought  will  be  enjoyed  as  news. 

41.  Timeliness.  —  But  there  are  certain  definite  features 
that  add  greatly  to  the  interest  of  stories.     Timeliness  is 
the  first  of  these.     Indeed,  timeliness  is  so  important  in  a 

1  Short  Story  Writing,  pp.  64-65. 


WHAT  NEWS  IS  29 

story  that  one  prominent  writer  1  on  journalism  deems  it 
an  essential  of  a  good  story.  Certainly  it  figures  in  ninety 
per  cent  of  the  published  articles  in  our  daily  newspapers. 
The  word  yesterday  has  been  relegated  to  the  scrap  heap. 
To-day,  this  morning,  this  afternoon  should  appear  if  possible 
in  every  story.  And  the  divorce  that  was  granted  yesterday 
or  the  accident  that  happened  last  night  must  be  viewed 
from  such  an  angle  that  to-day  shall  appear  in  the 
write-up.  Close  competition  and  improved  machinery 
have  made  freshness,  timeliness,  all  but  a  requisite  in 
every  story. 

42.  Closeness  of  the  Event.  —  Next  to  nearness  in  time 
comes  nearness  in  place  as  a  means  of  maintaining  interest. 
Other  things  being  equal,  the  worth  of  a  story  varies  in 
inverse  proportion  to  its  closeness  in  time  and  place.    A  theft 
of  ten  dollars  in  one's  home  town  is  worth  more  space  than 
a  theft  of  a  thousand  in  a  city  across  the  continent.    A  visit 
of  Mrs.  Gadabit,  wife  of  the  president  of  our  city  bank,  to 
Neighborville  twenty  miles  away  is  worth  more  space  than  a 
trip  made  by  Mrs.  Astor  to  Europe.    Whenever  possible,  the 
good  reporter  seeks  to  localize  his  story  and  draw  it  close 
to  the  everyday  lives  of  his  readers.    Even  an  accidental 
acquaintance  of  a  man  in  town  with  the  noted  governor  or 
the  notorious  criminal  who  has  just  been  brought  into  the 
public  eye  —  with  a  brief  quotation  of  the  local  man's  opin- 
ion of  the  other  fellow,  or  how  they  chanced  to  meet,  —  is 
worth  generous  space  in  any  paper.     Oftentimes  a  resident 
man  or  woman's  opinion  of  a  statement  made  by  some  one 
else,  or  of  a  problem  of  civic,  state,  or  national  interest,  is 
given  an  important  place  merely  by  reason  of  the  fact  that 
the  story  is  associated  with  some  locally  prominent  person. 
Always  the  effort  is  made  to  localize  the  news. 

43.  The  Search  for  Extremes.  —  Again,  say  what  one 

1  Professor  Willard  Grosvenor  Bleyer.      See  his  Newspaper  Writing  and 
Editing,  p.  18. 


3o  THE  NEWS  STORY 

may,  the  American  public  loves  extremes  in  its  news  stories. 
If  a  pumpkin  can  be  made  the  largest  ever  grown  in  one's 
section,  or  a  murder  the  foulest  ever  committed  in  the  vicin- 
ity, or  a  robbery  the  boldest  ever  attempted  in  the  block,  or 
a  race  the  fastest  ever  run  on  the  track,  or  anything  else  the 
largest  or  the  least  ever  registered  in  the  community,  it  will 
be  good  for  valuable  space  in  the  local  news  columns.  A 
record  breaker  in  anything  is  a  new  problem  to  the  public, 
who  will  read  with  eager  joy  every  detail  concerning  the 
attainment  of  the  new  record. 

44.  The  Unusual. — The  exceptional,   the  unusual,   the 
abnormal  is  in  a  sense  a  record  breaker  and  will  be  read 
about  with  zest.     A  burglar  stealing  a  Bible  or  returning  a 
baby's  mite  box,  a  calf  with  two  heads,  a  dog  committing 
suicide,  a  husband  divorcing  his  wife  so  that  she  may  marry 
a  man  whom  she  loves  better,  —  such  stories  belong  in  the 
list  with  the  unique  and  will  be  found  of  exceptional  interest 
to  readers. 

45.  Contests.  -  -  The    description    of    a    contest    always 
makes  interesting  news.    No  matter  whether  the  struggle  is 
between  athletic  teams,  business  men,  society  women,  race 
horses,  or  neighboring  cities,  if  the  element  of  struggle  for 
supremacy  can  be  injected  into  the  story,  it  will  be  read  with 
added  zest.    Such  stories  may  be  found  in  the  search  of  poli- 
ticians for  office,  in  the  struggles  of  business  men  for  control 
of  trade  or  for  squeezing  out  competitors,  in  contests  between 
capital  and  labor,  in  religious  factions,  in  collegiate  rivalry, 
and  in  many  of  the  seemingly  commonplace  struggles  of 
everyday  life.     The    individual,    elementary    appeal    that 
comes  from  struggle  is  always  thrilling. 

46.  Helplessness.  —  Opposed  to  stories  depicting  struggle 
for  supremacy  are  those  portraying  the  joys  or  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  very  old  or  very  young,  or  of  those  who  are  phys- 
ically or  mentally  unable  to  struggle.    The  joy  of  an  aged 
mother  because  her  boy  remembered  her  birthday,  the  un- 


WHAT  NEWS  IS  31 

deserved  sufferings  of  an  old  man,  the  cry  of  a  child  in  pain, 
the  distress  of  a  helpless  animal,  all  are  full  of  interest  to 
the  average  reader.  Helplessness,  particularly  in  its  hours 
of  suffering  or  its  moments  of  unaccustomed  pleasure,  com- 
pels the  sympathy  of  everyone,  and  every  reporter  is  delighted 
with  the  opportunity  to  write  a  "sob  story"  picturing  the 
friendlessness  and  the  want  of  such  unprivileged  ones.  These 
stories  not  only  are  read  with  interest,  but  often  prove  a 
practical  means  of  helping  those  in  distress. 

47.  Prominent   Persons.  —  Directly    opposed    to    stories 
about  helpless  persons  or  animals  are  those  of  prominent 
men  and  women.     For  some  reason  news  about  the  great, 
no  matter  how  trivial,  is  always  of  interest,  and  varies  in 
direct   proportion   to   the   prominence   of    the   person.     If 
the  President  of  the  United  States  drives  a  golf  ball  into  a 
robin's  nest,  if  the  oil  king  in  the  Middle  West  prefers  a 
wig  to  baldness,  if  the  millionaire  automobile  manufacturer 
never  pays  more  than  five  cents  for  his  cigars,  the  reading 
public  is  greatly  interested  in  learning  the  fact.     Nor  is  it 
essential  that  the  reader  shall  have  heard  of  the  prominent 
man.    It  is  sufficient  that  his  position  socially  or  profession- 
ally is  high. 

48.  Well-known   Places.  -  -  The    same    interest   attaches 
to  noted  or  notorious  places.     A  news  item  about   Reno, 
Nevada,   is  worth  more   than  one  about  Rome,   Georgia, 
though  the  cities  are  of  about  the  same  size.    A  street  traffic 
regulation  in  New  York  City  is  copied  all  over  the  United 
States,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  same  law  may  have 
been  passed  by  the  city  council  in  Winchester,  Kentucky, 
years    before    and    gone  unnoticed.     And    so  with  Coney 
Island  or  Niagara  Falls  or  Death  Valley,  or  any  one  of  a 
hundred  other  places  that  might  be  named.    The  fashions 
they  originate,  the  ideas  for  which  they  stand  sponsors,  the 
accidents  that  happen  in   their  vicinity,  all  have   specific 
interest  by  virtue  of  their  previous  note  or  notoriety.    And 


32  THE  NEWS  STORY 

if  the  reporter  can  fix  the  setting  of  his  story  in  such  a 
place,  he  may  be  assured  of  interested  readers. 

49.  Personal    and    Financial    Interests.  —  Finally,    if    a 
news  story  can  be  found  that  will  bear  directly  on  the  per- 
sonal or  financial  interests  of  the  patrons  of  the  paper,  one 
may  be  sure  of  its  cordial  reception.     If  turkeys  take  the 
roup  six  weeks  before  Thanksgiving,  or  taxes  promise  a  drop 
with  the  new  year,  or  pork  volplanes  two  or  three  cents,  or 
an  ice  famine  is  threatened,  or  styles  promise  coats  a  few 
inches  shorter  or  socks  a  few  shades  greener,  the  readers 
are  eager  to  know  and  will  applaud  the  vigilance  of  the 
editors.     For  this  reason,  a  reporter  can  often  pick  up  an 
extra  story  —  and  reporters  are  judged  by  the  extra  stories 
they  place  on  tfye  city  editor's  desk  —  by  occasionally  drop- 
ping in  at  markets,   grocery  stores,   and  similar  business 
houses  and  inquiring  casually  for  possible  drops  or  rises  in 
price.     For  the  same  reason,  too,  new  styles  as  seen  in  the 
shop  windows  are  always  good  for  a  half -column.     And 
one  cannot  think  of  covering  a  dressmakers'  convention,  an 
automobile  show,  a  jewelers'  exhibition,  or  a  similar  gather- 
ing without  playing  up  prominently  the  new  styles.    A  clever 
San  Francisco  reporter  covering  a  convention  of  insurance 
agents  once  produced  a  brilliant  story  on  new  styles  in  life 
insurance  policies. 

50.  Summary. — By  way  of  summary,  then,  it  may  be 
said  that  the  only  requirements  of  an  event  or  an  idea  to 
make  it  good  story  material  are  that  it  be  presented  accurately 
and  that  it  possess  interest  for  a  goodly  number  of  readers; 
and  any  fact  or  idea  which  presents  a  situation  or  poses  a 
problem  differing,  even  slightly,  from  preceding  situations  or 
problems  encountered  by  the  readers  of  a  paper  is  sure  to 
possess  interest.    Timeliness  is  of  vital  worth,  but  is  not  a 
necessity.     The  geographical  nearness  of  an  event  adds  to 
its  value,  as  does  the  fact  that  the  event  or  the  product  or 
the  result  is  a  record  breaker  or  is  unique  in  its  class.    Con- 


WHAT  NEWS  IS  33 

tests  of  all  sorts  invariably  possess  interest,  and  stories 
of  the  helplessness  of  old  persons,  children,  or  animals  never 
fail  to  have  an  emotional  appeal.  Any  news  item  concerning 
a  well-known  person  or  place  is  likely  to  attract  attention, 
and  any  story  that  touches  the  home  or  business  interests 
of  the  public  is  sure  to  command  interested  readers.  All 
these  features  are  valuable,  and  any  one  will  contribute 
much  to  the  worth  of  a  story,  but  none  is  essential.  The 
prerequisite  is  that  the  news  shall  be  true  and  shall  present 
a  new  situation  or  problem,  or  a  new  phase  of  an  old  situa- 
tion or  problem. 


VI.    NEWS  SOURCES 

51.  Second  Essential  of  News  Writing.  -V  As  explained 
in  the  preceding  chapter,  the  first  essential  in  news  writing 
is  a  proper  appreciation  of  news  and  news  values.    The 
second  essential  is  the  possession  of  a  story  to  write.     This 
chapter  will  discuss  news  sources,  leaving  for   Chapter  vn 
an  explanation  of  the  methods  of  getting  stories. 

52.  Gathering    News.  -  -  The    prospective    reporter    who 
supposes   that » newspaper   men   wander   aimlessly   up   and 
down  the  streets  of  a  city,  watching  and  hoping  for  auto- 
mobiles to  collide  and  for  men  to  shoot  their  enemies,  will 
have  his  eyes  opened  soon  after  entering  a  news  office.    He 
will  learn  that  a  reporter  never  leaves  the  city  room  without 
a  definite  idea  of  where  he  is  going.     If  newspapers  had  to 
police  the  streets  with  watchers  for  news  as  the  city  govern- 
ment assigns  officers  of  the  law,  the  cost  of  gathering  news 
would  be  prohibitive. 

53.  Police  as  News  Gatherers.  —  As  a  matter  of  fact,  a 
paper  has  comparatively  few  paid  men  on  its  staff,  though  it 
has  hundreds  of  non-paid  watchers  who  are  just  as  faithful. 
The  police  are  the  chief  of  these.    As  every  reporter  knows, 
a  policeman  is  compelled  to  make  to  his  captain  a  full  and 
prompt  report  of  every  fire,  robbery,  murder,  accident,  or 
mishap  involving  loss  of,   or  danger  to,   life  or  property 
occurring  on  his  beat.    This  report  is  made  to  the  local  pre- 
cinct or  station,  whence  it  is  telephoned  to  police  headquar- 
ters.   At  the  central  station  the  report  is  recorded  in  the  daily 
record  book  of  crime,  known  familiarly  to  the  public  as  the 
"  blotter."     Not  all  of  the  reports  recorded  on  the  police 
blotter  are  made  public,  because  hasty  announcement  of 


NEWS  SOURCES  35 

information  received  by  the  police  oftentimes  would  fore- 
stall expected  arrests;  but  such  information  as  the  desk 
sergeant  is  willing  to  utter  is  given  out  in  brief  bulletins, 
sometimes  posted  behind  locked  glass  doors,  sometimes 
simply  written  in  a  large  ledger  open  to  public  inspection. 
Whether  written  in  the  ledger  or  displayed  on  a  bulletin 
board,  these  bulletins  are  known  always  as  slips,  of 
which  the  following  are  typical  examples: 

Oct.  4  Suicide  Attempt 

Theodore  Pavolovich,  24  yrs.,  arrested  Oct.  i, 
1915,  fugitive,  abandonment,  Chicago,  attempted 
suicide  by  stabbing  with  a  fork  while  eating  din- 
ner.    Sent  to  Emergency  Hospital,  ambulance  4. 
12:50  P.  M.  Conway 

Oct.  4  Clothing  Found 

Woman 's  coat,  hat,  and  purse  found  on  bank 
of  Lake  Michigan,  foot  of  Pine  St.,  4:10  P.  M. 
Skirt  taken  from  water,  same  place,  4:30  P.  M., 
by  patrolman  Heath.  Clothing  identified  as  Mrs. 
George  Riley's,  18  Veazy  St.,  missing  since  noon. 
4:40  P.  M.  Nock 

Oct.  1 8  Leg  Broken 

Mary  Molinski,  40  yrs.,  single,  492  Grove  St., 
fell  down  stairs,  7:05  P.M.  Leg  broken.  Con- 
veyed to  St.  Elizabeth  Hospital  by  patrol  3. 
7:30?.  M.  Pet.  3. 

Oct.  19  Calf   Carcass   Found 

Calf  carcass,  black  and  white  hide,  weight 
about  85  pounds,  found  at  nth  and  Henry  Ave. 
6 130  A.M.  Oper 

These  slips  need  little  explanation.  The  name  signed  to 
each  is  that  of  the  police  officer  reporting.  The  Pet.  3  signed 
after  the  third  indicates  merely  the  local  precinct  from  which 


36  THE  NEWS  STORY 

the  report  was  made.  The  time  at  the  end  of  each  slip  sig- 
nifies the  exact  time  at  which  the  report  was  received  at 
police  headquarters. 

54.  Arrest  Sheets. — In  addition  to  the  slips  there  are 
the  "  arrest  sheets,"  on  which  all  arrests  are  recorded.    These 
sheets  are  open  always  to  public  inspection,  as  the  public 
has  a  right  to  know  of  every  arrest,  lest  a  man  be  imprisoned 
unjustly.     On  page  37  is  given  a  verbatim  reproduction  of 
the  arrests  recorded  in  a  city  in  the  Middle  West.    The  M 
or  5  at  the  top  of  the  fifth  column  stands  for  married  or 
single,  and  R  and  W  at  the  top  of  the  eighth,  for  read  and 
write.    The  D  and  D  charge  against  the  second  offender  is 
drunk  and  disorderly.    It  will  be  noted  that  the  cases  entered 
after  ten  o'clock  had  not  been  disposed  of  when  this  sheet 
was  copied.     From  these  arrest  sheets  and  the  slips,  as  the 
reader  may  readily  see,  the  reporter  is  able  to  get  a  brief 
but  prompt  and  accurate  account  of  most  of  the  accidents 
and  crimes  within  the  city.    And  with  these  advance  notices 
in  his  possession  he  can  follow  up  the  event  and  get  all  avail- 
able facts. 

55.  Other  News  Gatherers. --But  there  are  numerous 
other  non-paid  news  gatherers.     Doctors  are  required  to  re- 
port to  the  health  department  every  birth,  death,  and  conta- 
gious disease  to  which  they  have  been  called  in  a  professional 
capacity.    To  the  coroner  is  reported  every  fatal  accident, 
suicide,    murder,   or  suspicious  death.      The  county  clerk 
keeps  a  record  of  every  marriage  license.     The  recorder  of 
deeds  has  a  register  of  all  sales  and  transfers  of  property. 
The  building  inspector  has  a  full  account  of  buildings  con- 
demned, permits  granted  for  new  buildings,  and  fire  devices 
required.    The  leading  hotels  have  the  names  of  important 
guests  visiting  or  passing  through  the  city.    Thus  by  regul< 
visitation  of  certain  persons  and  places  in  the  city,  a  news 
paper  through  its  representatives,  the  reporters,  is  able  t< 
get  most  of  the  news  of  its  neighborhood. 


NEWS  SOURCES 


37 


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38  THE  NEWS  STORY 

56.  Regular  News  Sources.  —  Places  that  serve  as  news 
sources  are  known  as  " beats"  or  "jruns."  The  chief  ones 
and  the  kinds  of  news  found  at  each  are: 

Associated    Charities   Headquarters:     destitution, 

poverty,  relief  work. 
Boards    of    Trade,    Brokers,    Commission    Men: 

market  quotations;    sales  of  grain,  stocks,  and 

bonds;  financial  outlook. 
Boxing     Commission:     boxing    permissions    and 

regulations. 

Building  Department,  Real  Estate  Dealers,  Archi- 
tects: new  buildings,  unsafe  buildings. 
Caterers:  banquets,  society  dinners. 
Civic  Organizations:   reform  movements,  speakers, 

etc. 

Civil  Courts:  complaints,  trials,  decisions. 
Commercial  Club:  business  news. 
Coroner's  Office:  fatal  accidents,  murders,  suicides, 

suspicious  deaths. 

County  Clerk:   marriage  licenses,  county  statistics. 
County  Jail:  arrests,  crimes,  executions. 
Criminal  Courts:  arraignments,  trials,  verdicts. 
Delicatessen  Stores:   banquets,  society  dinners. 
Fire  Department  Headquarters:    fires,  fire  losses, 

fire  regulations,  condemned  buildings. 
Florists:   banquets,  dinners,  receptions,  social  func- 
tions. 
Health    Department:    births,   deaths,    contagious 

diseases,  reports  on  sanitation. 
Hospitals:  accidents,  illnesses,  deaths. 
Hotels:  important  guests,  banquets,  dinners,  social 

functions. 

Labor  Union  Headquarters:  labor  news. 
Morgue:    unidentified  corpses. 
Police   Headquarters:     accidents,    arrests,    crimes, 

fires,  lost  and  found  articles,  missing  persons, 

suicides,  sudden  or  suspicious  deaths. 


NEWS   SOURCES  39 

Political  Clubs  and  Headquarters:    county,  state, 

and  national  political  news. 
Probate  Office:   estates,  wills. 
Public  Works  Department:  civic  improvements. 
Railway  Offices:  new  rates,  general  shipping  news. 
Referee    in    Bankruptcy:     assignments,    failures, 

creditors'   meetings,   appointments  of  receivers, 

settlements. 

Register  of  Deeds:   real  estate  sales  and  transfers. 
Shipping  Offices:  departure  and  docking  of  vessels; 

cargoes,  shipping  rates,  passenger  lists. 
Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals: 

arrests,  complaints,  animal  stories. 
Superintendent  of  Schools:   educational  news. 
Vice  Commission:   arrests,  complaints,  raids. 

57.  News  Runs.  -  -  These  runs  are  distributed  among  the 
different  reporters,  sometimes  only  one,  sometimes  three  or 
four  to  a  person.  On  a  small  paper  all  of  the  runs,  or  all  to 
be  found  in  that  town,  may  be  given  to  one  reporter,  the 
number  assigned  depending  upon  the  size  of  the  town,  the 
nature  of  the  territory  covered,  and  the  willingness  or  un- 
willingness of  the  owners  to  spend  money  in  getting  news. 
On  the  larger  papers,  however,  police  headquarters  generally 
provide  work  for  one  man  alone,  known  as  the  " watcher." 
In  many  cases  he  does  no  writing  at  all,  but  merely  watches 
the  slips  and  the  sheets  for  reports  and  arrests,  which  he 
telephones  to  the  city  editor,  who  assigns  other  reporters  to 
get  the  details  and  write  the  stories.  Another  reporter 
watches  the  city  clerk's  office  and  perhaps  all  the  other 
departments  in  the  city  hall,  which  he  visits  at  random 
intervals  during  die  day,  but  without  such  close  attention 
to  any  one  office  as  is  given  to  police  headquarters.  $till 
another  goes  to  the  shipping  offices  and  two  or  three  other 
places  which  he  will  visit  ordinarily  not  more  than  once  a 
day.  But  whether  he  goes  five  times  a  day  or  only  once,  a 


40  THE  NEWS  STORY 

. 
reporter  is  held  responsible  for  all  the  news  occurring  on  his 

run;  and  if  he  falls  short  in  his  duty  or  lets  some  more  nimble- 
witted  reporter  scoop  him  on  the  news  of  his  beat,  he  had 
better  begin  making  himself  friends  of  the  mammon  of 
unrighteousness  to  receive  him  into  their  habitations;  for 
a  scoop,  even  of  a  few  minutes,  by  a  rival  publication  is  the 
unpardonable  sin  with  the  city  editor.  The  wise  reporter 
never  neglects  any  news  source  on  his  run. 

58.  Dark  Runs.  —  Before  we  take  up  methods  of  getting 
stories,  one  other  news  source  should  be  noted,  —  what 
reporters  know  as  "dark  runs/'  runs  that  are  consistently 
productive  of  news,  but  which  must  be  kept  "dark."  Such 
places  are  garages,  delicatessen  stores,  florists'  shops,  and 
similar  shops  providing  flowers,  cakes,  and  luxuries  for 
private  dinners  and  receptions.  An  unwritten  law  of  trade 
makes  it  a  breach  of  professional  etiquette  for  a  shopkeeper 
to  tell  the  names  of  purchasers  of  goods,  but  many  a  proprie- 
tor, as  a  matter  of  business  pride,  is  glad  to  recount  the  names 
of  his  patrons  on  Lakeside  Drive  and  their  splendid  orders 
just  given.  Garage  men,  too,  wishing  it  known  that  million- 
aire automobile  owners  patronize  their  shops,  often  are  will- 
ing to  tell  of  battered  cars  repaired  by  their  men.  All  such 
sources  are  fertile  with  stories.  Many  a  rich  man's  automo- 
bile crashes  into  a  culvert  or  a  telegraph  pole  and  nobody 
knows  of  it  but  the  mechanic  in  the  repair  shop.  Many  a 
prominent  club-man  indulges  in  orgies  of  revelry  and  dissi- 
pation of  which  none  knows  but  the  caterer  and  a  few  chosen, 
non-committal  friends.  Many  a  society  leader  plans  recep- 
tions and  dinners  of  which  the  florist  learns  before  the 
friends  who  are  to  be  invited.  And  by  skilfully  encouraging 
the  friendship  of  these  tradesmen,  a  shrewd  reporter  can 
obtajn  exclusive  facts  about  prominent  persons  who  cannot 
understand,  when  they  see  their  names  in  the  morning  paper, 
how  the  information  was  made  public.  These  "dark  runs" 
justify  diligent  attention.  They  produce  news,  and  valuable 


NEWS  SOURCES  41 

is  the  reporter  who  can  include  successfully  a  number  of 
such  sources  in  his  daily  rounds. 

59.  Value  of  Wide  Acquaintance.  —  Attention  may  be 
directed,  too,  to  the  need  of  deliberately  cultivating  friend- 
ships and  acquaintances,  not  only  on  these  "dark  runs," 
but  wherever  one  goes  —  both  on  and  off  duty.  In  the  stores, 
along  the  street,  on  the  cars,  at  the  club,  the  alert  reporter 
gathers  many  an  important  news  item.  The  merchant,  the 
cabman,  the  preacher,  the  barkeeper,  the  patrolman,  the 
thug,  the  club-man,  the  porter,  all  make  valuable  acquaint- 
ances, as  they  are  able  often  to  give  one  stories  or  clues  to 
the  solution  of  problems  that  are  all  but  invaluable  to  the 
paper.  And  such  facts  as  they  present  are  given  solely  because 
of  their  interest  in  the  reporter.  One  should  guard  zealously, 
however,  against  betraying  the  confidence  of  such  friends. 
The  reporter  must  distinguish  the  difference  between  pub- 
lishing a  story  gained  from  a  stranger  by  dint  of  shrewd 
interviewing,  and  printing  the  same  story  obtained  from  a 
fellow  club-man  more  or  less  confidentially  over  the  cigars 
and  coffee.  The  stranger's  information  the  reporter  must 
publish.  No  newspaper  man  has  a  right  to  suppress  news 
obtained  while  on  duty  or  to  accept  the  confidence  of  any- 
one, if  by  such  confidence  he  is  precluded  the  right  to  publish 
certain  facts.  The  publication  or  non-publication  of  such 
news  is  a  matter  for  the  city  editor's  decision  alone.  But  a 
story  obtained  confidentially  from  a  friend  at  the  club  or  in 
the  home  of  a  neighbor  may  not  be  used  except  with  the 
express  permission  of  those  persons.  Many  a  man  has  seen 
himself  and  his  paper  scooped  because  he  was  too  honorable 
to  betray  the  trust  of  his  friends;  but  such  a  single  scoop  is 
worth  nothing  in  comparison  with  the  continued  confidence 
of  one's  friends  and  their,  later  prejudiced  assistance.  Per- 
sonal and  professional  integrity  is  a  newspaper  man's  first 
principle. 


VII.    GETTING  THE  STORY 

60.  Starting    for    a    Story.  —  In    the   preceding    chapter 
attention  was  directed  to  news  sources,  to  definite  places 
for  obtaining  news.    The  reporter's  situation  changes  radi- 
cally, however,  when  he  is  sent  for  a  story  and  is  told  merely 
that  somebody  at  Grove  and  Spring  streets  has  been  shot. 
There  are  four  corners  at  Grove  and  Spring  streets,  and  the 
shooting  may  have  occurred,  not  on  the  corner,  but  at  the 
second  or  third  'house  from  any  one  of  the  four  corners,  and 
maybe  in  a  rear  apartment.     On  such  an  assignment  one 
should  have  on  hand  cards  and  plenty  of  paper  and  pencils. 
Every  reporter  should  keep  several  sharp,  soft  lead  pencils. 
Folded  copy  paper  is  sufficient  for  note-taking.    The  stage 
journalist  appears  always  with  conspicuous  pencil  and  note- 
book, but  the  practical  newspaper  man  displays  these  insig- 
nia of  his  profession  as  little  as  possible.    A  neat,  engraved 
business  card  is  necessary  because  often  it  is  the  only  means 
of  admittance  to  a  house.  -  ^^r\ 

61.  Use  of  the  Telephone.  —  If  the  name  or  the  person 
shot  at  Spring  and  Grove  streets  has  been  given  him,  the 
reporter  may  look  it  up  in  the  telephone  and  city  directories, 
in  order  to  get  some  idea  of  the  man  and  his  profession.    If 
the  house  has  a  telephone,  the  reporter  may  sometimes  use 
this  means  of  getting  information,  but  this  step  generally 
is  not  advisable,  as  the    telephone   cannot  be  trusted  on 
important  stories.    A  person  can  ring  off  too  easily  if  he 
prefers  not  to  answer  questions,  and  his  gestures  and  facial 
expressions,  emphasizing  or  denying  the  statements  that  his 
lips   make,    cannot  be  seen.    The  telephone   is  rather   to 
be  used  for  running  down  rumors  and  tips,  for  obtaining 


GETTING  THE  STORY  43 

unimportant  interviews,  and  for  getting  stories  which  the 
persons  concerned  wish  to  have  appear  in  the  paper.  If  in 
this  case  the  reporter  has  doubts  about  the  shooting,  he 
may  telephone  to  a  nearby  bakery  or  meat  market  to 
verify  the  rumor,  but  he  had  better  not  telephone  the  house. 
Let  him  go  there  in  person. 

62.  City  Maps.  —  If  the  reporter  does  not  know  the  name 
of  the  individual  shot  or  the  location  of  Grove  and  Spring 
streets,  he  should  consult  his  city  map  to  learn  precisely 
where  he  is  going.    If  he  is  in  a  hurry,  he  may  examine  the 
map  on  his  way  to  the  car  line,  or  while  he  is  calling  a  taxi. 
Actually  he  ought  to  know  the  city  so  well  that  he  need 
not  consult  a  map  at  all  (and  the  man  whose  ambition  is 
to  be  a  first-class  reporter  will  soon  acquire  that  knowledge), 
but  to  a  beginner,  a  map  is  valuable. 

63.  Finding  the  Place.  —  Having  arrived  at  Grove  and 
Spring  streets,  the  reporter  should  go  first  to  the  policeman 
on  the  beat.    Unless  the  shooting  is  one  that  for  some  reason 
has  been  hushed  up,  the  policeman  will  know  all  the  main 
details.     Usually,  too,  if  approached  courteously,  he  will  be 
glad  to  point  out  the  house  and  tell  what  he  knows.    If  he 
knows  nothing  or  pretends  ignorance,   the  reporter  must 
seek  the  house  itself;   nor  must  he  be  discouraged  if  he  fails 
to  get  his  information  at  the  first,  second,  or  third  house, 
nor  indeed  after  he  has  inquired  at  every  door  in  the  adjacent 
blocks.     There  are  still  left  the  neighborhood  stores,  —  the 
groceries,  bakeries,  saloons,  meat  markets,  and  barber  shops, 

-and  maybe  in  the  last -one  of  these,  the  barber  shop,  a 
customer  with  his  coat  off,  waiting  for  a  shave,  will  remember 
that  he  heard  somebody  say  a  man  by  the  name  of  Davis 
was  shot  " around  the  corner.'7  But  he  does  not  know  what 
corner,  or  where  the  man  lives,  or  his  initials,  or  who  gave 
him  his  information. 

64.  Regular  Reports  to  the  City  Editor.  —  The  reporter's 
first  step  now  is  to  go  to  the  corner  drugstore  and  examine 


44  THE  NEWS  STORY 

the  telephone  and  city  directories  for  every  Davis  living  in 
the  neighborhood.  While  in  the  drugstore  he  may  call  up 
the  city  editor  and  report  progress  on  the  story.  When  away 
on  an  assignment  there  is  need  always  of  reporting  regularly, 
particularly  if  one  is  working  on  an  afternoon  paper.  Some 
city  editors  require  a  man  to  telephone  every  hour  whether 
he  has  any  news  or  not.  A  big  story  may  break  and  "the  city 
editor  may  have  nobody  to  handle  it,  or  the  office  may  have 
fuller  information  about  the  story  which  the  reporter  is 
investigating.  Besides,  on  an  afternoon  paper  where  an 
edition  is  appearing  every  hour  or  so,  every  fresh  detail, 
though  small,  may  be  of  interest  to  readers  following  the 
story. 

65.  Retracing  One's  Work.  —  If  no  Davises  are  listed  in 
the  city  or  telephone  directories,  or  none  of  those  whose 
names  appear  knows  anything  of  the  shooting,  the  reporter's 
work  of  inquiry  is  still  unfinished.    He  must  go  back  to  the 
patrolman  on  the  beat  and  inquire  if  any  person  by  the. name 
of  Davis  has  recently  moved  into  the  neighborhood,  —  since, 
for  instance,  the  last  city  directory  was  published.    Failing 
again,  he  must  make  once  more  the  rounds  of  the  houses 
on  or  near  the  four  corners  and  of  the  neighborhood  shops, 
inquiring  in  each  instance  for  Mr.  Davis.    If  there  is  a  grocery 
store,  a  bakery,  or  a  laundry  in  the  vicinity,  he  must  be  sure 
to  inquire  there,  particularly  at  the  laundry,  as  the  proprie- 
tors of  those  places  are  the  first  to  get  the  names  of  newcom- 
ers in  a  neighborhood.    The  laundries  must  have  names  and 
addresses  for  deliveries,  while  housewives  exchange  gossip 
daily  in  the  other  places  between  purchases  of  vegetables 
and  yeast  cakes. 

66.  Need  of  Determination.  —  If  the  reporter  still  fails, 
he  must  not  give  up  even  yet  without  first  resorting  to  every 
other  measure  that  the  special  circumstances  of  the  case 
make  possible.    There  is  never  a  story  without  some  way  to 
unearth  it,  and  every  such  story  is  potentially  a  great  one. 


GETTING  THE  STORY  45 

A  telephone  message  to  the  leading  hospitals  may  bring 
results.  Inquiry  at  the  corner  houses  in  the  four  adjoining 
blocks  may  disclose  a  Mr.  Davis.  Inquiry  of  the  children 
skating  along  the  sidewalk  may  unearth  him.  But  in  any 
event,  the  reporter  must  not  give  up  until  he  has  investigated 
every  available  clue.  The  city  editor  does  not  want  and  will 
not  take  excuses  for  failures  to  bring  back  stories;  he  wants 
stories. 

67.  Gaining  Access  for  an  Interview.  —  If  at  his  last 
place  of  inquiry,  perhaps  from  one  of  the  skating  children, 
the  reporter  learns  it  was  not  Mr.  Davis  at  all  who  was 
shot,  but  Mr.  Davidson,  who  may  be  found  three  blocks 
down  at  Spring  and  Grosvenor  streets,  his  task  now  immedi- 
ately changes  to  gaining  access  to  Mr.  Davidson,  or  to  Mrs. 
Davidson,  or  to  some  one  in  the  building  who  can  give  him 
the  facts.    Here  is  where  his  card  may  serve.    If  Mr.  David- 
son has  rooms  in  a  hotel,  he  may  send  his  card  up  by  a  bell- 
boy;  if  in  a  club,  he  may  give  it  to  the  porter  at  the  door. 
If  the  house  at  Spring  and  Grosvenor  streets,  however,  is 
plainly  one  where  a  card  would  be  out  of  place,  he  may  simply 
inquire  for  Mr.  Davidson.    It  is  not  at  all  improbable  that 
Mr.  Davidson  was  only  slightly  injured  and  one  may  be 
permitted  to  see  him.     If,  however,  the  person  answering 
the  door  states  that  Mr.  Davidson  cannot  be  seen,  as  he  was 
injuredxthat  morning,  the  reporter  may  express  his  interest 
and  inquire  the  cause,  thus  making  a  natural  and  easy  step 
toward  what  newspaper  men   generally  consider  the  most 
difficult  phase  of  reporting,  —  the  interview. 

68.  Requirements  for  Interviewing.  —  Broadly  speaking, 
there  are  six  requirements  for  successful  interviewing:    a 
pleasing  presence,  the  ability  to  question  judiciously,  a  quick 
perception  of  news   even  in   chance  remarks,   a  retentive 
memory,   the  power  to  detect  falsehood  readily,  and  the 
ability  to  single  out  characteristic  phrases.    Technically,  an 
interview  is  a  consultation  with  a  man  of  rank  for  the  sake 


46  THE  NEWS  STORY 

of  publishing  his  opinions.  In  practice,  however,  because 
the  term  man  of  rank  is  hazy  in  its  inclusiveness,  the  word 
has  come  to  mean  consultation  with  any  person  for  the  pur- 
pose of  reporting  his  views.  And  in  this  sense  the  word 
interview  will  be  used  in  this  volume. 

69.  A  Pleasing  Presence.  —  The  first  requisite  for  success- 
ful interviewing,  a  pleasing  presence,  must  be  interpreted 
broadly.     In  the  term  are  included  immaculacy  of  person 
and  linen,  as  well  as  tact,  courtesy,  and  all  those  qualities 
that  make  for  ease  of  mind  while  conversing.    Clothes  may 
not  make  a  man,  but  the  lack  of  them  will  ruin  a  reporter. 
An  unshaven  face  or  a  collar  of  yesterday's  wear  will  do  a 
newspaper  man  so  much  harm  in  some  persons'  eyes  that 
all  the  shrewd  questions  he  can  ask  during  the  interview  will 
be  of  little  value.     Lack  of  tact  in  approaching  or  address- 
ing a  man  will  have  the  same  unfortunate  result.     Many 
reporters  think  that  by  resorting  to  flattery  they  can  induce 
men  to  talk;  then  they  wonder  why  they  fail.     A  reporter 
must  keep  in  mind  that  the  persons  he  interviews  usually 
possess  as  keen  intellects  as  his   own  and  mere  flattery 
will  be  quickly  detected  and  resented. 

70.  Courtesy.  —  Above  all  things  in  his  purpose  to  pre- 
sent a  pleasing  presence,  the*  interviewer  must  possess  unfail- 
ing courtesy.    He  must  never  forget  that  he  is  a  gentlemen, 
no  matter  what  the  other  person  may  be.    He  cannot  afford 
to  permit  himself  even  to  become  angry.    Anger  does  not 
pay,  for  two  reasons.     In  the  first  place,  when  a  reporter 
loses  his  temper,  he  immediately  loses  his  head.    He  becomes 
so  absorbed  in  his  own  emotions  that  he  cannot  question 
shrewdly  or  remember  clearly  what  is  said  by  the  man  from 
whom  he  would  extract  information.    In  the  second  place, 
anger  creates  hostility,  and  a  hostile  man  or  woman  not  only 
does  not  willingly  give  information,  but  will  be  an  enemy 
of   the   paper   forever  afterward.     Always,   therefore,    the 
interviewer  must  be  courteous,  knowing  that  kindness  begets 


GETTING  THE  STORY  47 

kindness  and  that  the  other  fellow,  if  approached  rightly, 
will  respond  in  the  end  to  his  own  mood. 

71.  Asking  Questions.  —  Concerning  the  second  require- 
ment for  interviewing,  judicious  questioning,  only  general 
precepts  can  be  given.    The  reporter  must  rely  largely  on 
himself.     As  a  rule,  however,  the  personal  equation  should 
be  considered.    Every  man  is  interested  in  himself  and  his 
work,  and  the  interviewer  often  may  start  him  talking  by 
beginning  on  work.    The  essential  thing  is  to  get  some  topic 
that  will  launch  him  into  easy,  natural  conversation.    Then, 
'with  his  man  started,  the  interviewer  may  well  keep  silent. 
Only  a  cub  reporter  will  interrupt  the  natural  flow  of  conver- 
sation for  the  sake  merely  of  giving  his  own  views.    If  the 
man  runs  too  far  afield,  the  reporter  may  guide  the  con- 
versation back   to    the  original    topic;   but  he  may  well 
subject  himself  to  much  irrelevant  talk  for  the  sake  of  guid- 
ing his  informer  back  gracefully  to  the  topic  of  interest. 

72.  Persons  Seeking  Advertisement.  —  From  the  stand- 
point of  the  newspaper  man,  there  are  three  classes  of  per- 
sons one  encounters  in  interviewing:    those  who  talk,  those 
who  will  not,  and  those  who  do  not  know  they  are  divulging 
secrets.    Concerning  the  first  little  need  be  said.    Such  per- 
sons talk  because  they  enjoy  seeing  their  names  in  print.    It 
is  a  marvel  how  many  men  and  women  object  with  seeming 
sincerity  to  their  names  being  made  public  property,  yet  at 
the  same  time  give  the  reporter  full  details  for  the  story  he 
wishes  and  hand  him  their  cards  so  that  he  may  spell  their 
names  correctly.     Many  such  celebrities  will  stand  for  any 
kind  of  interview,  so  that  the  reporter  need  only  determine  in 
advance  what  he  would  have  them  say  to  make  a  good 
story.    With  them  advertisement  is  so  much  personal  gain; 
they  are  glad  to  accede  to  any  sort  of  odd  statement  for  the 
sake  of  possible  public   notice.     Such   persons    are   to  be 
avoided;     advertisements  are  written   by    the    advertising 
manager  or  his  helpers  and  fixed  prices  are  charged. 


48  THE  NEWS  STORY 

73.  Persons  Refusing  to  Talk. --With  the  second  and 
third   classes,   however,   the  interviewer  must  be   careful, 
particularly  with  the  second.     Men  who  will  not  talk  are 
usually  well  acquainted  with  the  world.     Sometimes  they 
may  be  forced  into  making  statements  by  asking  them  ques- 
tions that  will  almost  certainly  arouse  their  anger  and  so 
make  them  speak  hastily,  but  the  reporter  himself  must  be 
doubly  careful  in  such  cases  to  keep  his  own  temper  sweet. 
Oftentimes   such   men,   particularly   society   criminals   and 
others  who  possess  an  especial  fear  of  having  their  wrong- 
doing known  among  their  friends,  try  to  keep  from  being 
written  up  by  saying  they  are  unwilling  to  make  any  kind  of 
statement  for  publication,  but  that  they  will  do  so  in  court 
if  anything  is  published  about  them.    The  reporter  will  not 
let  such  a  threat  daunt  him.    He  will  get  the  facts  and  pre- 
sent them  to  the  city  editor  with  the  person's  hint  of  criminal 
action,  then  let  the  city  editor  determine  the  problem  of 
publication. 

74.  Persons  Divulging  Secrets.  —  Frequently  a  person  of 
the  second  class  may  be  slyly  converted  into  the  group  of 
those  who  do  not  know  they  are  divulging  secrets,  by  the 
reporter  deliberately  leading  away  from  the  topic  about 
which  he  has  come  for  an  interview,  then  circling  round  to 
the  hazardous  subject  when  the  person  interviewed  is  off  his 
guard.    Probably  the  most  ticklish  situation  in  all  reporting 
is  here.    To  make  a  person  tell  what  he  knows  without  know- 
ing that  he  is  telling  is  the  pinnacle  of  the  art  of  interviewing. 
As  Mr.  Richard  Harding  Davis  has  so  exactly  expressed.it: 

Reporters  become  star  reporters  because  they  ob- 
serve things  that  other  people  miss  and  because  they 
do  not  let  it  appear  that  they  have  observed  them. 
When  the  great  man  who  is  being  interviewed  blurts 
out  that  which  is  indiscreet  but  most  important,  the 
cub  reporter  says:  "That's  most  interesting,  sir.  I'll 


GETTING  THE  STORY  49 

make  a  note  of^llt."  And  so  warns  the  great  man 
into  silence.  But  the  star  reporter  receives  the  in- 
discreet utterance  as  though  it  bored  him;  and  the 
great  man  does  not  know  he  has  blundered  until 
he  reads  of  it  the  next  morning  under  screaming 
headlines.1 

It  is  for  such  reasons  that  a  quick  perception  of  news  even 
in  chance  remarks  is  a  requisite  for  interviewing.  If  one 
does  not  grasp  instantly  the  value  of  a  bit  of  information, 
the  expression  of  his  face  or  his  actions  will  give  him  away 
later  when  a  full  realization  of  the  worth  of  the  news 
comes  to  him,  or  else  he  will  not  be  able  to  recall  precisely 
the  facts  given. 

75.  Retentive  Memory.  —  It  is  for  the  same  reason,  too, 
that  a  retentive  memory  is  necessary.     Fifty  per  cent  of 
those  interviewed  will  be  frightened  at  the  sight  of  a  note- 
book.   And  all  men  become  cautious  when  they  realize  that 
their  statements  are  being  taken  down  word  for  word.    The 
reporter  must  correlate  properly  and  keep  firmly  in  mind 
the  facts  gleaned  in  the  interview,  then  get  as  quickly  as 
possible  to  some  place  where  he  can  record  what  he  has 
learned.    Many  an  interviewer  will  listen  a  half-hour  without 
taking  a  note,  then  spend  the  next  half-hour  on  a  horse- 
block or  a  curb  writing  down  what  the  person  interviewed 
has   said.      Other   reporters   with   shorter   memories   carry 
pencil  stubs  and  bits  of  specially  cut  white  cardboard,  and 
while  looking  the  interviewed  man  in  the  eye,  take  down 
statistics  and  characteristic  phrases  on  the  cards.     Some 
even,  as  on  the  stage  and  in  the  moving  pictures,  take  occa- 
sional notes  on  their  cuffs,  —  all  this  in  an  effort  to  make 
the  one  interviewed  talk  unrestrainedly. 

76.  Use  of  Shorthand.  —  A  word  may  be  said  here  con- 
cerning shorthand.     Its  use  in  interviewing  and  in  general 

news  reports  should  not  be  too  much  encouraged,  even  when 

• 

1   The  Red  Cross  Girl,  p.  7. 


50  THE  NEWS  STORY 

a  man  is  entirely  willing  to  have  his  'exact  words  recorded. 
Often  it  deadens  the  presentation  of  news.  Shorthand  has 
its  value  as  far  as  accuracy  and  record  of  occasional  state- 
ments are  concerned,  and  may  well  be  used,  but  its  too  faithful 
use  has  a  tendency  to  take  from  news  stories  the  imagina- 
tion that  is  necessary  for  a  complete  and  truthful  presenta- 
tion. The  stenographic  reporter  becomes  so  intent  upon 
the  words  of  the  person  he  is  quoting  that  he  misses  the 
spirit  of  the  interview  and  is  liable  to  produce  a  formal, 
lifeless  story.  The  reporter  may  well  use  shorthand  as  a 
walking  cane,  but  not  as  a  crutch. 

77.  Precise     Questions    in    Interviews.  —  If    one    finds 
exactness  of  statement  a  requisite,  one  may  obtain  shorthand 
results  by  bringing  along  a  sheet  of  typewritten  questions 
for  submission  to  the  person  interviewed.    These  questions 
the  person  must  answer  definitely  or  else  evade,  in  either 
case  furnishing  story  material.     But  whether  a  reporter 
comes  armed  with  such  a  list  of  questions  or  not,  he  must 
at  least  have  definitely  in  mind  the  exact  purpose  of  his  visit 
and  the  precise  questions  he  wants  answered.    In  the  major- 
ity of  cases  the  reason  that  interviewers  meet  with  such 
unwelcome  receptions  from  great  men  is  that  the  latter 
are    too   busy    to   waste    time   with    pottering    reporters. 
Certainly  the  men  themselves  say  so.     President  Wilson 
declares  that  of  the  visitors  to  the  White  House  not  one  in 
ten  knows  precisely  why  he  has  come,  states  definitely  what 
he  wants,  and  leaves  promptly  when  he  has  finished.    Such 
persons  are  an  annoyance  to  busy  men  and  women,  and  the 
newspaper  man  who  can  dispatch  quickly  the  business  of 
his  visit  will  more  likely  meet  with  a  favorable  reception 
next  time. 

78.  Learning  a  Man's  Career.  —  As  an  aid  to  interview- 
ing prominent  men,  whether  one  typewrites  one's  questions 
in  advance  or  merely  determines  wrhat  in  general  one  will 
ask,  the  reporter  should  have  a  good  general  knowledge  of 


GETTING   THE   STORY  51 

the  man's  career  and  what  he  has  accomplished  in  his  partic- 
ular field,  so  that  the  noted  man  may  not  be  forced  to  go 
too  much  into  detail  to  make  his  conversation  clear  to  the 
interviewer.  Some  men  seem  annoyed  when  asked  to  explain 
technical  terms  or  to  review  well-known  incidents  in  their 
lives.  Such  facts  may  be  obtained  from  the  files  of  the 
morgue,  from  encyclopedias,  from  the  Who's  Who  volumes, 
and  from  local  men  associated  in  the  same  kind  of  work. 
Frequently  one  will  find  it  advisable  to  consult  the  city 
editor  and  other  members  of  the  staff,  as  well  as  local  or 
less  known  men,  by  way  of  preparation  for  interviewing  a 
prominent  visitor. 

79.  Ability  to  Detect  Falsehood. -- The  fifth  require- 
ment for  successful  interviewing,  and  the  last  to  be  discussed 
in  this  chapter,1  is  the  ability  to  detect  falsehood  readily. 
All  persons  who  talk  for  publication  speak  with  a  purpose. 
Sometimes  they  talk  for  self-exploitation ;  occasionally  they 
wish  to  pay  a  grudge  against  another  man.  Sometimes  their 
purpose  is  what  they  say  it  is;  often  it  is  not.  Sometimes 
they  tell  the  exact  truth;  frequently  they  do  not,  even  when 
they  think  they  are  speaking  truthfully.  It  may  seem  odd, 
but  it  is  true  that  comparatively  few  of  the  persons  one  ques- 
tions about  even  the 'most  commonplace  occurrences  can 
give  unbiased  reports  of  events.  They  were  too  much  excited 
over  the  affair  to  observe  accurately,  or  they  are  too  much 
prejudiced  for  or  against  the  persons  involved  to  witness 
judicially.  The  reporter,  therefore,  must  take  into  consid- 
eration their  mental  caliber  and  every  possible  motive  they 
may  have  for  acting  or  speaking  as  they  do.  If  the  person 
who  met  the  reporter  a  moment  ago  at  Mr.  Davidson's 
door  was  his  wife  and  she  refused  to  talk  about  the  shooting, 
or  said  he  was  not  shot,  she  evidently  had  a  motive  for  her 
statement.  And  if  the  woman  next  door  recounts  with  too 

L  The  value  of  characteristic  phrases  and  gestures  in  the  interview  is 
discussed  on  page  130. 


52  THE  NEWS  STORY 

much  relish  and  in  too  high-pitched  tones  the  cat-and-dog 
life  of  the  Davidsons  or  their  declared  intentions  each  of 
killing  the  other,  the  reporter  had  better  take  care.  She  is 
probably  venting  an  old-time  grudge  against  her  neighbors, 
whose  son  last  month  broke  a  window-pane  in  her  house. 
Countless  libel  suits  might  have  been  avoided  had  the 
reporters  been  able  to  detect  falsehood  more  readily. 

80.  Questioning    Everyone.  —  Because    of    these    sharp 
discrepancies  in  men's  natures  and  the  fact  that  everyone 
sees  an  event  from  his  own  individual  angle,  it  is  necessary 
for  a  reporter  to  question  everybody  in  any  way  connected 
with  a  story.    He  should  see  not  only  Mr.  and  Mrs.  David- 
son, if  possible,  but  other  witnesses  of  the  shooting,  acquaint- 
ances in  the  neighborhood,  the  servants  in  the  house,  and 
anyone  else,  no  matter  how  humble,  likely  in  any  way  to  be 
connected  with  or  to  have  knowledge  of  the  occurrence. 
Oftentimes  a  janitor,  a  maid,  or  a  chauffeur  will  divulge  facts 
that  the  mistress  or  the  detective  bureau  would  not  disclose 
for  large  sums  of  money:    Frequently  a  child  in  the  yard  or 
on  the  back  steps  will  give  invaluable  information.    This  is 
particularly  true  when  the  older  persons  are  attempting  to 
conceal  facts  or  are  too  much  excited  from  a  death  or  an 
accident  to  talk.    Children  usually  are  less  unstrung  by  dis- 
tressing events  and  can  give  a  more  connected  account. 
Moreover,  they  are  almost  always  willing  to  talk,  and  they 
generally  try  to  tell  the  truth. 

81.  A  Person's  Previous   Record.  —  It   is   also   well   to 
inquire  particularly  about  the  past  history  or  the  previous 
record  of  the  person  involved.    If  the  woman  is  a  divorcee 
or  the  man  an  ex-convict,  or  if  one  of  the  children  previously 
has  been  arraigned  in  police  court  for  delinquency,  or  if  any 
one  of  the  participants  has  ever  been  drawn  into  public 
notice,  such  items  will  be  worth  much  in  identifying  the 
characters  in  the  story.    If  the  man  whose  house  is  burning 
lost  another  house,  well  insured,  a  year  ago;   if  the  widow 


GETTING  THE  STORY  53 

has  married  secretly  her  chauffeur  two  months  after  her 
husband's  sudden  death  from  ptomaine  poisoning;  if  the 
man  who  spoke  last  night  was  the  preacher  who  declared  all 
protestant  churches  will  some  day  return  to  the  confessional ; 

-  if  such  facts  can  be  obtained,  they  will  add  greatly  to  the 
interest  and  the  value  of  the  story,  and  the  reporter  should 
make  every  effort  to  obtain  them.     Their  interest  lies,  of 
course,  either  in  the  fact  that  they  aid  the  public  in  identify- 
ing the  persons,  or  that  they  provide  material  for  interesting 
conjectures  as  to  probable  results.    Sometimes,  indeed,  this 
correlation  of  present  and  past  facts  grows  so  important  that 
it  becomes  the  main  story. 

82.  Full  Details. — While  questioning  different  persons  in 
an  attempt  to  get  all  the  facts,  one  should  take  care  to  record 
all  details.    It  is  far  easier  to  throw  away  unneeded  material 
when  writing  up  the  events  than  to  return  to  the  scene  for 
neglected  information.     In  particular,  one  should  learn  the 
name  and  address  of  every  person  in  any  way  connected  with 
the  story,  no  matter  how  much  trouble  it  may  require  to  get 
the  information.     A  man  who  is  merely  incidental  at  the 
beginning  of  the  inquiry  may  prove  of  prime  importance  an 
hour  later  or  in  the  follow-up  next  day.    Even  the  telephone 
number  of  persons  likely  in  any  way  to  become  prominent 

-  or  where  such  persons  may  be  reached  by  telephone  — 
should  be  obtained.    For,  try  as  one  will  to  get  all  the  facts, 
one  often  needs  to  get  additional  information  after  returning 
to  the  office.    In  such  a  plight,  it  is  of  great  value  to  know 
where  a  man  may  be  reached  who  does  not  have  a  telephone 
in  his  own  home.    Pictures,  too,  of  the  persons  concerned  are 
valuable.     The  news-reading  public  likes  illustrations,  and 
whether  the  photograph  is  or  is  not  used,  it  is  easily  return- 
able  by  next  day's  mail.     All  papers  promise  to  return 
photographs  unharmed. 

83.  Getting    Names     Correctly.  —  It    would    seem    un- 
necessary to  urge  the  necessity  of  getting  initials  and  street 


54  THE  NEWS  STORY 

. 

addresses  and  of  spelling  names  correctly;  yet  so  many  news- 
paper men  err  here  that  specific  attention  must  be  directed 
to  it.  Numerous  libel  suits  have  been  started  because  a 
reporter  got  an  initial  or  a  street  address  wrong  and  there 
happened  to  be  in  the  c;ty  another  person  with  the  printed 
name  and  street  address.  Even  if  the  story  does  not  contain 
cause  for  libel,  a  person  whose  name  has  been  misspelled 
never  quite  forgives  a  journal  for  getting  it  wrong.  The  re- 
porter should  remember  that  many  of  the  Smiths  in  the 
world  are  Smythes  in  print  and  many  of  the  Catherines  spell 
it  Katharyne  in  the  city  directory.  And  such  persons  are 
sensitive. 

84.  Speeches.  —  In  covering  speeches  the  reporter  should 
make  an  effort  (:o  get  advance  copies  of  what  the  speaker  in- 
tends to  say,  —  and  a  photograph  of  him  if  he  is  an  important 
personage.  A  large  per  cent  of  the  impassioned  and  seem- 
ingly spontaneous  bursts  of  oratory  that  one  hears  on  church, 
lecture,  and  political  platforms  are  but  verbal  reproductions 
of  typewritten  manuscript  in  the  speaker's  inside  coat  pocket, 
and  if  the  newspaper  man  will  ask  for  carbon  copies  of  the 
oratory,  the  lecturer  will  be  glad  to  provide  them  in  advance, 
-  in  order  to  have  himself  quoted  correctly.  He  will  also 
be  glad  to  provide  the  photograph.  These  advance  copies 
of  speeches  are  called  "release"  stories.  That  is,  they  are 
marked  at  the  top  of  the  first  page,  "Release,  June  12,  9:30 
P.M.,"  meaning  that  no  publication  shall  be  made  of  that 
material  before  9:30  P.M.  of  June  12.  Newspapers  always 
regard  scrupulously  a  release  date,  and  a  reporter  need  never 
hesitate  to  give  his  word  that  publication  of  speeches,  mes- 
sages, and  reports  will  be  withheld  until  after  delivery.  An 
editor  of  a  paper  in  the  Middle  West  once  thought  to  scoop 
the  world  by  printing  the  President's  message  to  Congress 
the  evening  before  its  delivery,  but  he  was  so  promptly 
barred  from  the  telegraphic  wires  thereafter  that  he  paid 
dearly  for  his  violation  of  professional  honor.  With  these 


GETTING  THE  STORY  55 

advance  copies  of  speeches  in  his  possession  the  reporter 
may  write  at  his  own  convenience  his  account  of  the  lecture; 
or  if  he  is  rushed  —  and  has  the  permission  of  the  city  editor 
-  he  may  even  stay  away  from  the  meeting.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  the  speaker  is  of  national  importance,  it  may  be  well 
to  consult  with  the  city  editor  about  going  out  fifty  miles  or 
more  to  catch  the  train  on  which  the  distinguished  guest  is 
coming.  In  this  way  one  can  have  an  interview  ready  for 
publication  by  the  time  the  great  man  arrives  and  sometimes 
can  obtain  a  valuable  scoop  on  rival  papers. 

85.  Attending  Lectures. — Where  one  is  not  able  to  get  a 
typewritten  copy  of  a  speech,  the  only  alternative  is  to  attend 
the  lecture.     Newspaper  men  usually  are  provided  with  free 
tickets,  which  they  should  obtain  in  advance,  as  the  rush  of 
the  lecture  hour  throws  unexpected  duties  on  those  respon- 
sible for  the  program,  and  one  may  sometimes  be  consider- 
ably inconvenienced  in  getting  an  admission  card.    Inside 
there  is  generally  a  table  close  to  the  platform,  where  news- 
paper men  may  write  comfortably.     If  the  reporter  has  been 
given  an  advance  copy  of  the  speech,  he  should  listen  closely 
for   any   variations   from   the   typewritten   manuscript,   as 
speakers  in  the  excitement  resulting  from  the  applause  or 
disapproval  of  the  audience  often  lose  their  heads  and  make 
indiscreet  statements  or  disclose  state  secrets  that  furnish 
the  best  story  material  for  the  paper  next  morning.     If 
one  does  not  have  an  advance  copy,  one  should  attempt  to 
get  the  speech  by  topics,  with  occasional  verbatim  passages 
of  particularly  pithy  or  dynamic  passages.     As  in  the  case 
of  interviews,  it  is  better  not  to  attempt  to  take  too  much 
of  the  lecture  word  for  word.     The  significance,  the  spirit  of 
the  address  is  of  greater  worth  than  mere  literalness.     If 
the  city  editor  wants  a  verbatim  report,  he  will  send  a 
stenographer. 

86.  A  Newspaper    Man's    Honor.  —  In  conclusion,   em- 
phasis may  be  laid  on  the  reporter's  attitude  toward  obtain- 


56  THE  NEWS  STORY 

ing  news.  He  must  go  after  a  story  with  the  determination 
to  get  it  and  to  get  it  honorably.  Once  he  has  started  after 
an  item,  he  must  not  give  up  until  he  has  succeeded.  But 
he  must  succeed  with  honor.  Stories  are  rampant  over  the 
United  States  of  newspaper  men  stealing  through  basement 
windows  at  night,  listening  at  keyholes,  bribing  jurymen  to 
break  their  oath,  and  otherwise  transgressing  the  limits  of 
law  and  honor.  But  the  day  of  such  reportorial  methods 
has  passed.  To-day  a  newspaper  expects  every  man  on  its 
staff  to  be  a  gentleman.  It  wants  no  lawbreakers  or  sneaks. 
Stories  must  be  obtained  honestly  and  written  up  honestly. 
The  man  who  fakes  a  story  or  willfully  distorts  facts  for  the 
sake  of  injuring  a  man  or  making  a  good  news  article  will  be 
discharged  front  any  reputable  newspaper  in  America.  And 
he  ought  to  be. 


VIII.     ORGANIZATION  OF  THE   STORY 

87.  On  the  Way  to  the  Office.  -  -  The  organization  of  the 
news  material  before  beginning  to  write  makes  for  speed, 
accuracy,  and  interest.     On  the  way  back  to  the  office  the 
reporter  must  employ  his  time  as  profitably  as  when  getting 
the  news,  so  that  when  he  enters  the  city  room  he  may  have 
his  facts  arranged  for  developing  into  story  form  and  may 
be  able  to  hang  his  article  on  the  city  editor's  hook  in  the 
briefest  time  possible. 

88.  Speed.  —  Next  to  accuracy,   speed  is  a  newspaper 
man's  most  valuable  asset.     Some  journalists  even  put  speed 
first,  and  Mr.  Thomas  Herbert  Warren  but  voiced  the  opinion 
of  many  of  the  fraternity  when  he  wrote, 

Thrice  blessed  he  whose  statements  we  can  trust, 
But  four  times  he  who  gets  his  news  in  fust. 

When  the  reporter  starts  back  to  the  office,  he  has  in  his 
pocket  a  mass  of  jumbled  facts,  most  of  which  have  a  bear- 
ing on  the  prospective  story,  but  many  of  which  have  not. 
Even  those  facts  that  are  relevant  are  scattered  confusedly 
among  the  different  sheets,  so  that  in  order  to  write  his  story 
he  must  first  rearrange  his  notes  entirely.  He  may  regroup 
these  mentally  while  writing,  by  jumping  with  his-  eye  up 
and  down  the  pages,  hunting  on  the  backs  of  some  sheets, 
and  twisting  his  head  sideways  to  get  notes  written  crosswise 
on  others.  But  all  this  takes  valuable  time,  —  so  much, 
indeed,  that  the  wise  reporter  will  have  on  hand,  either 
in  his  mind  or  on  paper,  a  definite  plan  for  his  story. 

89.  Accuracy. — That  the  reorganization  of  one's  notes 
preparatory  to  writing  will  aid  accuracy  of  statement  and 


58  THE  NEWS   STORY 

of  presentation  needs  little  argument.  To  paraphrase 
Herbert  Spencer's  words  on  reading:  A  reporter  has  at  each 
moment  but  a  limited  amount  of  mental  power  available.  To 
recognize  and  interpret  the  facts  recorded  in  his  notes  re- 
quires part  of  his  power;  to  strike  in  ordered  sequence  the 
typewriter  keys  that  will  put  those  facts  on  paper  requires 
an  additional  part;  and  only  that  part  which  remains  can 
be  used  for  putting  his  ideas  into  forceful,  accurate  sentences. 
Hence,  the  more  time  and  attention  it  takes  to  read  and  un- 
derstand one's  notes,  the  less  time  and  attention  can  be 
given  to  expressing  the  ideas,  and  the  less  vividly  will  those 
ideas  be  presented.  Moreover,  when  a  writer  attempts  to 
compose  from  jumbled  notes,  because  of  his  attention  being 
riveted  on  expressing  clearly  and  forcefully  what  he  has 
jotted  down,  he  is  liable  to  include  in  his  story  facts  that  do 
not  properly  belong  there,  or  to  omit  some  illegibly  written 
but  important  item,  and  so  fail  to  present  the  incidents  fairly 
and  accurately. 

90.  Interest.  —  Finally,  the  third  reason  for  ordering 
one's  notes  carefully  before  writing  is  to  insure  interest  to 
the  reader.  The  same  story  almost  always  can  be  presented 
in  several  different  ways.  Every  story,  too,  must  possess  a 
specific  point,  a  raison  d'etre:  as,  the  heinousness  of  the  crime, 
the  cleverness  of  the  brigands,  the  loneliness  of  the  widow. 
This  point  of  the  story,  this  angle  from  which  the  re- 
porter writes,  is  determined  largely  by  the  writer's  selec- 
tion of  details,  which  in  turn  is  dominated  by  the  policy  of 
the  paper  and  the  interest  of  the  readers.  If  the  paper  and 
its  patrons  care  particularly  for  humorous  stories,  certain 
dolorous  facts  are  omitted  or  placed  in  unimportant  posi- 
tions, and  the  readers  have  a  fair  but  amusing  view  of*  the 
occurrence.  If  they  favor  sob  stories,  the  same  incident, 
by  a  different  selection  or  arrangement  of  details,  may  be 
made  pathetic.  But  the  reporter  must  select  his  details 
with  such  a  purpose  in  mind.  And  unless  he  has  some  such 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  STORY  59 

definite  motive  and  has  so  organized  his  material  before 
beginning  to  write,  he  will  present  a  more  or  less  prosaic 
narrative  of  events  with  little  specific  appeal  to  the  reader. 
Of  course,  one  oftentimes  is  too  rushed  to  take  so  much  care 
in  preparation  for  writing.  Frequently,  indeed,  a  reporter 
cannot  wait  until  he  can  get  back  to  the  office,  but  must 
telephone  the  facts  in  to  a  rewrite  man,  who  will  put  them 
into  story  form.  But  it  is  fair  to  say  that  the  discerning 
reporter  never  idles  away  his  time  in  the  smoking  compart- 
ment of  the  car  when  returning  with  a  story.  His  mind  is, 
and  should  be,  engrossed  with  the  story,  which  he  should 
strive  to  make  so  good  that  it  will  appear  on  the  front  page 
of  the  paper. 

91.  Four  Orders  of  Organization. — In  organizing  ma- 
terial for  writing,  one  may  adopt  any  one  or  a  combination 
of  four  different  orders:    time  order,  space  order,  climactic 
order,  complex  order.     Of  these,  probably  ninety-five  per 
cent  of  all  the  news  stories  published  are  organized  on  the 
time  order  or  a  combination  of  it  with  one  or  more  of  the 
other  three.     Of  the  remaining  three,  probably  four  per  cent 
of  the  stories  are  written  in  the  climactic  order,  leaving  only 
about  one  per  cent  for  the  space  and  complex  orders.     Numer- 
ous articles,  of  course,  are  a  combination  of  two  or  more  of 
these  orders. 

92.  Time  Order.  -  -  The  time  order  is  a  simple  chrono- 
logical arrangement  of  the  incidents,  as  illustrated  in  the 
following: 

BOY  BURNS  TOES  IN  BED 

Fearing  the  wrath  of  his  father,  Kenneth 
Cavert,  5-year-old  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George 
Cavert,  Rankin  and  Franklin  streets,  suffered 
in  silence  while  fire  in  his  bed  Friday  evening 
painfully  burned  two  of  his  toes  and  caused 
severe  burns  on  his  body. 

The  lad  went  to  bed  shortly  after  dark  Friday 
evening.  About  a  half-hour  later  he  went  down- 


6o 


THE  NEWS  STORY 


stairs  for  a  drink.  A  few  minutes  later  he  went 
down  again  for  a  drink. 

Shortly  afterward  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cavert 
smell ed  cloth  burning  in  the  house,  and  going 
upstairs  to  investigate,  found  the  boy  in  bed, 
wide  awake,  the  blankets  in  flames,  which  sur- 
rounded the  lad  and  had  already  seared  his  toes. 
One  of  the  bed  rails  was  burned  almost  in  two 
and  the  bed  clothing  ruined. 

The  lad  afterward  said  he  went  downstairs  to 
get  a  mouthful  of  water  to  spit  on  the  flames. 
"I  spit  as  hard  as  I  could,"  said  he,  "but  I 
couldn't  put  out  the  fire." 

Although  he  will  not  tell  how  the  fire  started, 
it  is  supposed  he  was  playing  with  matches.1 


93.  Space  Order.  —  The  space  order  explains  itself,  be- 
ing nothing  else  than  descriptive  writing.  The  following 
story  of  the  Eastland  disaster  in  1915  illustrates  the  space 
order: 

VICTIMS'  PROPERTY  LISTED 


A  line  of  showcases  extends  down  the  center 
of  the  public  hearing  room  on  the  first  floor  of 
the  city  hall.  Arranged  for  display  are  a  hun- 
dred or  more  cameras  of  all  sizes,  thermos 
bottles,  purses,  hand  bags,  and  even  a  snare 
drum. 

Around  the  room  are  racks  on  which  are  hang- 
ing cloaks  and  coats,  here  a  red  sweater,  there  a 
white  corduroy  cloak.  Under  them  are  heaps 
of  hats,  mostly  men's  straw,  obviously  of  this 
year's  make.  There  are  several  hundred  wo- 
men's headgear,  decorated  with  feathers  and 
ribbons. 

Along  one  side  are  piled  suit  cases  and  satch- 
els, open  for  inspection.  They  are  packed  for 
departure  with  toothbrushes  and  toothpaste, 
packages  of  gum,  tobacco  and  books.  A  dozen 
baseball  bats  are  leaning  against  one  of  the 
pillars  near  the  end  of  the  showcase.  There 
are  several  uniforms  to  be  worn  by  bandmen. 


1  Appleton  (Wisconsin)  Daily  Post,  October  14,  1915. 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  STORY 


61 


In  the  extreme  corner,  surrounded  by  hundreds 
of  shoes,  of  all  kinds,  is  a  collapsible  go-cart. 

De  Witt  C.  Cregier,  city  collector,  stood  be- 
hind one  of  the  showcases  yesterday  afternoon, 
with  a  jeweler's  glass,  examining,  bits  of  orna- 
ment. 

Piled  before  him  hi  long  rows  were  envelops. 
One  by  one,  he  or  his  assistants  dumped  the  con- 
tents on  the  glass  case  and  read  off  descriptions 
of  each  article  to  a  stenographer: 

"One  pocket  mirror,  picture  of  girl  on  back; 
one  amethyst  filigree  pendant;  one  round  gold 
embossed  bracelet;  gold  bow  eye-glasses; 
Hawthorne  club  badge  attached  to  fob;  two  $i 
bills." 

As  the  articles  were  listed  they  were  put  back 
into  the  envelops.  Had  it  not  been  for  one  cir- 
cumstance, it  might  have  been  a  pawnshop 
inventory. 

There  was  the  jewelry  worth  more  than 
$10,000,  articles  for  personal  use,  and  musical 
instruments.  But  under  the  long  rows  of  coats, 
hats,  and  shoes,  there  was  a  pool  of  water.  It 
olripped  from  the  red  sweater  onto  a  straw  hat 
beneath.  It  fell  into  shoes  and  the  place  smelled 
of  wet  leather. 

When  the  bodies  of  those  who  perished  in  the 
Eastland  disaster  were  removed  from  the  water, 
their  clothing  and  jewelry  were  taken  by  the 
police  and  tabulated.  There  was  no  space  in 
the  custodian's  office;  so  he  hastily  fitted  up  the 
public  hearing-room,  brought  in  showcases  and 
had  carpenters  build  racks  for  the  clothing.  .  .  .J 


94.  Climactic  Order.  -  -  The  climactic  order  is  that  in 
which  the  incidents  are  so  arranged  that  the  reader  shall  not 
know  the  outcome  until  he  reaches  the  last  one  or  two  sen- 
tences. The  following  story,  though  brief,  illustrates  well 
the  climactic  order  of  arrangement: 


Chicago  Tribune,  July  26,  1915. 


62 


THE  NEWS  STORY 


VALUED   A  DRESS  ABOVE  LIFE 

First,  there  was  the  young  man.  One  night, 
while  they  were  on  the  way  to  a  movie,  Ambro- 
sia noticed  the  young  man  was  looking  rather 
critically  at  her  dress. 

When  one  is  17  and  lives  in  a  big  city  where 
there  are  any  number  of  girls  just  as  good  look- 
ing, besides  a  lot  who  are  better  looking,  it  is  a 
serious  matter  when  a  young  man  begins  to  look 
critically  at  one's  dress. 

Particularly  is  it  serious  when  the  acquisition 
of  a  new  dress  is  a  matter  of  much  painstaking 
planning;  of  dispensing  with  this  or  that  at 
luncheon;  of  walking  to  work  every  day  instead 
of  only  when  the  weather  is  fine;  and  of  other 
painful  sacrifices. 

Ambrosia  didn't  say  anything.  She  pre- 
tended she  hadn't  noticed  the  young  man's  look. 
But  that  night,  in  her  room  on  East  Thirteenth 
Street,  Ambrosia  indulged  in  some  higher  mathe- 
matics. It  might  as  well  be  vouchsafed  here 
that  the  address  on  East  Thirteenth  Street  is 
1315,  and  that  Ambrosia's  name  is  Dallard,  and 
that  she  is  an  operator  for  the  Bell  Telephorle 
Company.  The  net  result  of  her  calculations 
was  that,  no  matter  how  hard  she  saved,  she 
wouldn't  be  able  to  buy  a  new  dress  until  Decem- 
ber or  January.  Meanwhile,  —  but  Ambrosia 
knew  there  couldn't  be  any  meanwhile.  She 
had  to  have  that  dress. 

Ambrosia  found  a  card,  and  on  it  was  the 
name  of  a  firm  which  ardently  assured  her  it 
wanted  to  afford  her  credit.  Then  there  was  a 
little  something  about  a  dollar  down  and  a  dollar 
a  week  until  paid  for. 

So  Ambrosia  got  her  dress.  It  had  cost  her 
$i,  and  it  would  be  entirely  hers  when  she  had 
paid  $14  more.  Ambrosia  wore  it  to  a  movie 
and  the  young  man  admiringly  informed  her  she 
"  was  all  dolled  up. "  And  everyone  was  happy. 

One  never  can  tell  about  dresses,  though; 
particularly  $15  ones,  One  night,  when  Am- 
brosia was  wearing  the  new  possession  for  the 
third  time,  it  developed  a  long  rip.  The  cloth 
was  defective. 

Ambrosia  took  the  dress  back.    The  install- 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  STORY 


ment  firm  was  sorry,  but  could  do  nothing,  and 
of  course  the  firm  expected  her  to  keep  paying 
for  it. 

Ambrosia  left  the  dress,  and  went  back  to  her 
old  one.  The  young  man  noticed  it  the  next 
time  they  went  out  together.  Shortly  after- 
ward, when  he  should  have  called,  he  didn't.  A 
collector  for  the  installment  house  did,  though. 
Meanwhile,  Ambrosia  was  saving  to  buy  another 
dress.  She  was  quite  emphatic  about  the 
bill  from  the  installment  house  —  she  wouldn't 
pay  it. 

Once  in  awhile  she  saw  the  young  man,  but 
she  didn't  care  for  more  calls  until  the  new  dress 
was  forthcoming. 

Tuesday  it  looked  as  if  everything  would  come 
out  all  right.  She  had  $9  saved.  Wednesday 
she  would  draw  her  salary  —  $6.  She  knew 
where  she  could  buy  just  what  she  wanted  for 
$12.50.  It  was  much  better  looking  than  the 
old  dress  and  better  material.  She  even  made 
an  anticipatory  engagement  with  the  young 
man. 

Wednesday  came  —  Ambrosia  went  to  draw 
her  salary.  The  installment  house  had  gar- 
nisheed  it. 

To-day  Ambrosia's  job  is  being  kept  open  by 
the  telephone  company,  and  it  is  thought  some 
arrangement  may  be  made  by  which  the  in- 
stallment house  will  not  garnishee  her  salary 
next  week. 

At  the  General  Hospital  she  is  reported  as 
resting  well.  She  was  taken  there  in  an  am- 
bulance yesterday  afternoon  after  trying  to  kill 
herself  by  inhaling  chloroform.1 


95.  Complex  Order.  -  -  The  complex  order,  sometimes 
called  the  order  of  increasing  complication,  is  that  in  which 
the  writer  proceeds  from  the  known  to  the  unknown.  Gen- 
erally a  story  following  this  method  of  organization  is  nothing 
else  than  simple  exposition.  The  following  Associated  Press 
story  illustrates  the  type: 


1  Kansas  City  Star,  January  i,  1917. 


64 


THE  NEWS  STORY 


AERIAL  TORPEDO  BOAT  INVENTED 

[By  Associated  Press.] 

Washington,  July  22. — An  aerial  torpedo 
boat  for  attack  on  ships  in  protected  harbors 
is  projected,  it  was  learned  to-day,  in  patents 
just  issued  to  Rear  Admiral  Bradley  A.  Fiske, 
now  attached  to  the  navy  war  college,  but  for- 
merly aid  for  operations  to  Secretary  Daniels. 

The  plan  contemplates  equipping  a  monster 
aeroplane,  similar  to  a  number  now  under  con- 
struction in  this  country  for  the  British  govern- 
ment, with  a  Whitehead  torpedo  of  regulation 
navy  type. 

Swooping  down  at  a  distance  of  five  sea  miles 
from  the  object  of  attack,  the  air  craft  would 
drop  its  deadly  passenger  into  the  water  just  as 
it  would  have  been  launched  from  a  destroyer. 
The v  impact  sets  the  torpedo's  machinery  in 
motion  and  it  is  off  at  a  speed  of  more  than  forty 
knots  an  hour  toward  the  enemy  ship. 

Admiral  Fiske  believes  the  flying  torpedo 
boat  would  make  it  possible  to  attack  a  fleet 
even  within  a  landlocked  harbor.  The  range  of 
the  newest  navy  torpedoes  is  ten  thousand  yards 
and  even  the  older  types  will  be  effective  at 
seven  thousand  yards. 

Carried  on  a  huge  aeroplane,  the  2,000  pound 
weapon  would  be  taken  over  harbor  defenses 
at  an  altitude  safe  from  gunfire.  Once  over  the 
bay,  the  machine  would  glide  down  to  within 
ten  or  twenty  feet  of  water,  the  torpedo  rudders 
would  be  set  and  it  would  be  dropped  to  do  its 
work  while  the  aeroplane  arose  and  sped  away.1 

96.  Climactic  Order  Difficult.  —  Of  the  four  organiza- 
tion plans,  the  hardest  by  far  to  develop  is  the  climactic 
order,  which  should  be  avoided  by  young  reporters.  This 
method  of  arrangement  is  on  the  short-story  order,  and  the 
beginner  will  find  it  difficult  to  group  his  incidents  so  that 
each  shall  lead  up  to  and  explain  those  following  and  at  the 
same  time  add  to  the  reader's  interest.  Some  papers  as  y< 
admit  only  rarely  the  story  developed  climactically,  but  11 

1  Minneapolis  Tribune,  July  22,  1915. 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  STORY  65 

is  growing  in  popularity  and  the  reporter  should  know  how 
to  handle  it. 

97.  Important  Details.  —  With    the    climactic    order    of 
arrangement  eliminated,  the  reporter  is  practically  limited  to 
the  simple  time  order,  or  a  combination  of  it  with  one  of  the 
other  two  kinds,  —  which  is  the  normal  type  of  story.     But 
he  must  keep  in  mind  one  other  factor,  —  to  place  the  most 
important  details  first  and  the  least  important  last.    There 
are  two  reasons  why  this  method  of  arrangement  is  necessary. 
In  the  first  place,  readers  want  all  the  main  details  first,  so 
that  they  may  learn  immediately  whether  or  not  they  are 
interested  in  the  story  and  if  it  will  be  worth  their  while  to 
read  the  whole  article.     They  are  too  busy  to  read  everything 
in  the  paper;    they  can  choose  only  those  stories  that  excite 
their  interest.     If,  therefore,  they  can  learn  in  the  first  para- 
graph what  the  whole  story  is  about,  they  will  not  be  delayed 
and  fatigued  unnecessarily  by  reading  non-essentials  with 
the  hope  of  finding  something  worth  while. 

98.  Unimportant  Details. --The  second  reason  for  such 
an  organization  is  that  stories  appearing  in  the  early  editions 
have  to  be  cut  down  to  fit  into  the  more  valuable  and  limited 
space  of  the  later  issues.    At  the  beginning  of  the  day  news 
is  relatively  scarce,  and  the  front-page,  left-hand  column  of 
the  first  edition  may  carry  a  story  that  will  be  cut  in  half  in 
the  city  edition  and  be  relegated  to  an  inside  page.     More 
important  news  has  come  in  as  the  day  has  aged.     A  re- 
porter, therefore,  must  plan  his  stories  with  a  view  to  hav- 
ing the  last  part,  if  necessary,  cut  off,  —  so  that,  indeed,  if  the 
news  editor  should  prune  the  story  down  to  only  the  first 
paragraph,  the  reader  would  still  be  given  the  gist  of  what 
has  happened.     Note  the  following  story,  how  it  may  be 
cut  off  at  any  paragraph  and  still  present  a  perfect,  though 
less  imposing  whole: 


66 


THE  NEWS   STORY 


SCHOOLBOY  SUES  BRIDE,  AGED  40 

Villisca,  la.,  Dec.  27.  —  Claude  Bates,  17 
years  old  and  formerly  of  Villisca,  has  brought 
suit  in  Polk  county  for  the  annulment  of  his 
marriage  to  the  widow  Patrick,  40  years  old  and 
the  mother  of  four  children,  two  of  whom  are 
older  than  their  stepfather. 

Bates  is  still  in  school,  and  became  acquainted 
with  the  widow  when  he  went  to  her  home  to 
call  on  one  of  her  daughters.  According  to  the 
petition,  young  Bates  made  such  a  hit  with  the 
mother  of  his  best  girl  that  she  herself  fell  in 
love  with  him,  and  was  soon  a  rival  of  her  own 
daughter.  The  older  woman  knew  many  tricks 
with  which  the  daughter  was  unacquainted, 
and  in  the  end  she  managed  to  "bag"  the  game. 

The  marriage,  which  took  place  in  Chicago, 
was  kept  a  secret  even  after  the  couple  returned 
home,  and  it  was  not  until  young  Bates  told  the 
whole  story  to  his  mamma  a  few  days  ago  that 
his  family  had  an  inkling  of  the  true  state  of 
affairs.  Now  the  suit  has  been  filed  by  the  boy's 
mother,  because  the  young  husband  himself  is 
too  young  to  go  into  court  without  a  guardian. 

As  one  of  the  causes  of  the  suit,  the  petition 
cites  that  Bates  was  inveigled  into  the  mar- 
riage through  "the  wiles,  artifices,  and  protes- 
tations of  love"  on  the  part  of  the  widow. 
Furthermore,  the  petition  charges  that  the  two 
were  married  under  assumed  names,  that  their 
ages  were  falsely  given,  and  that  their  residences, 
as  given  the  marriage  clerk,  were  false. 

According  to  the  petition,  young  Bates  was 
attending  school,  where  he  met  Mrs.  'Patrick's 
daughter  and  fell  in  love  with  her.  He  called  at 
the  house  and  met  the  mother,  who  was  divorced 
from  her  first  husband  some  ten  years  ago. 
There  were  four  of  the  Patrick  children,  their 
ages  being  13,  15,  17,  and  20  years.  Bates 
himself  was  just  15  at  that  time.  The  petition 
sets  up  that  almost  immediately  after  becoming 
acquainted  with  Mrs.  Patrick  the  latter  began 
her  attempts  to  induce  young  Bates  to  marry 
her.1 


1  Des  Moines  Register,  December  27,  1914. 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  STORY  67 

99.  Accuracy  of  Presentation.  —  One  very  definite  cau- 
tion must  be  given  concerning  the  organization  of  the  story, 
-  the  necessity  of  presenting  facts  with  judicial  impartiality. 
When  the  reporter  is  arranging  his  material  preparatory  to 
writing,  casting  away  a  note  here  and  jotting  down  another 
there,  he  can  easily  warp  the  whole  narrative  by  an  unfair 
arrangement  of  details  or  a  prejudiced  point  of  view.  Fre- 
quently a  story  may  be  woefully  distorted  by  the  mere 
suppression  of  a  single  fact.  A  newspaper  man  has  no  right 
willfully  to  keep  back  information  or  to  distort  news.  Un- 
biased stories,  or  stories  as  nearly  unbiased  as  possible,  are 
what  newspapers  want.  And  while  one  may  legitimately 
order  one's  topics  to  produce  a  particular  effect  of  humor, 
pathos,  joy,  or  sorrow,  one  should  never  allow  the  desire 
for  an  effect  to  distort  the  presentation  of  the  facts. 


IX.     THE   LEAD1 

100.  Instructions  from  the  City  Editor.  —  Before  beginning 
the  story,  the  reporter  should  stop  at  the  city  editor's  desk, 
give  him  in  as  few  words  as  possible  an  account  of  what  he 
has  learned,  and  ask  for  instructions  about  handling  the 
story,  about  any  feature  or  features  to  play  up.     The  city 
editor  may  not  offer  any  advice  at  all,  may  simply  say  to 
write  the  story  for  what  it  is  worth.     In  such  a  case,  the  re- 
porter is  at  liberty  to  go  ahead  as  he  has  planned;    and  he 
should  have  his  copy  on  the  city  editor's  desk  within  a  very 
few  minutes.     The  city  editor,  however,  may  tell  him  to 
feature  a  certain  incident  and  to  write  it  up  humorously. 
If  the  reporter  has  observed  keenly,  he  himself  will  already 
have  chosen  the  same  incident  and  may  still  proceed  with 
the  writing  as  he  planned  on  the  way  back  to  the  office.     A 
careful  study  of  instructions  given  reporters  will  quickly  con- 
vince one,  however,  that  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  the  city 
editor  takes  his  cue  from  the  reporter  himself,  that  in  the 
reporter's  very  mood  and  method  of  recounting  what  he 
has  learned,  he  suggests  to  the  city  editor  the  features  and 
the  tone  of  the  story,  and  is  merely  given  back  his  own 
opinion  verified.     Not  always  is   this   the   case,   however. 
One  reporter  on  a  Southern  daily  —  and  a  star  man,  too  - 
used  to  say  that  he  could  never  predict  what  his  city  editor 
would  want  featured.     So  he  used  always  to  come  into  the 
office  armed  with  two  leads,  and  sometimes  with  three. 

101.  Two  Kinds  of  Leads.  -  -  The  story,  technically,  is 

1  Before  reading  this  chapter,  the  student  should  examine  the  style  book 
in  the  Appendix,  particularly  that  part  dealing  with  the  preparation  of 
copy  for  the  city  desk. 


THE  LEAD  69 

made  up  of  two  parts  —  the  lead  and  the  body.  The  lead 
is  easily  the  more  important.  If  a  reporter  can  hanclle  suc- 
cessfully this  part  of  the  story,  he  will  have  little  trouble 
in  writing  the  whole.  The  lead  is  the  first  sentence  or  the 
first  group  of  sentences  in  the  story  and  is  of  two  kinds,  the 
summarizin)klead  and  what  may  be  called  the  informal  lead. 
The  summarizing  lead  gives  in  interesting,  concise  language 
the  gist  of  the  story.  The  informal  lead  merely  introduces 
the  reader  to  the  story  without  intimating  anything  of  the 
outcome,  but  with  a  suggestion  that  something  interesting 
is  coming.  Of  the  two  types  the  summarizing  lead  is  by  far 
the  more  common  and  may  be  considered  first. 

102.  Summarizing  Lead.  —  The  summarizing  lead  may 
be  a  single  sentence  or  a  single  paragraph,  or  two  or  three 
paragraphs,  according  to  the  number  and  complexity  of  the 
details  in  the  story.  A  brigf  story  usually  has  a  short  lead. 
A  long,  involved  story  madcap  of  several-parts,  each  under 
a  separate  head,  often  has  a  Iea4_consistmg  of  several  pajra- 
graphs.  Sometimes  this  lead,  because 
a  summary  of  all  the  details-in 


printed  in  black-face  type-at  the  ^beginning  _£>f  tte^story. 
Then  follow  the  different  parts,  each  ^division  wkk  Us^ewn 
individual  leaeb- 

103.  Contents  of  the  Lead.  —  What  to  put  into  the  lead,  — 
or  to  feature,  as  reporters  express  it  in  newspaper  parlance,  — 
one  may  best  determine  by  asking  oneself  what  in  the  story 
is  likely  to  be  of  greatest  interest  to  one's  readers  in  general. 
Whatever  that  feature  is,  it  should  be  played  up  in  the  lead. 
The  first  and  great  commandment  in  news  writing  is  that 
the  story  beginfwith  the  most  important  fact  and  give  all 
the  essential  defails  first.  These  details  are  generally  sum- 
marized in^the  questions  who,  what,  when,  where,  why,  and 
how.  If  the  writer  sees  that  his  lead  answers  these  questions, 
he  may  be  positive  that,  so  far  as  context  is  concerned,  his 
lead  will  ]pe  good. 


THE  NEWS  STORY 


104.  Construction  of  the  Lead.  —  In  constructing  th< 
lead,  the  most  important  fact  or  facts  should  be  put  at  the 
very  first.  For  this  reason,  newspaper  men  avoid  beginning 
a  story  with  to-day,  to-morrow,  or  yesterday,  because  the  time 
at  which  an  incident  has  occurred  is  rarely  the  most  im- 
portant fact.  For  the  same  reason,  careful  ^riters  avoid 
starting  with  the,  an,  or  a,  though  it  often  is  necessary  to 
begin  with  these  articles  because  the  noun  they  modify  is 
itself  important.  The  name  of  the  place,  too,  rarely  ever 
is  of  enough  importance  to  be  put  first.  An  examination 
of  a  large  number  of  leads  in  the  best  newspapers  shows 
that  the  features  most  often  played  up  are  the  result  and 
the  cause  or  motive.  Thus: 


As  a  result  of  too  much  thanksgiving  on 
Thanksgiving  Day,  Prof.  Harry  Z.  Buith,  42, 
488  Sixteenth  Street,  a  ^prominent  Seventh 
Day  Adventist,  is  dead. 

Just  plain  ordinary  geese  and  a  few  ganders 
held  up  a  train  on  the  Milwaukee  road  to-day 
and  forced  their  owner,  Nepomcyk  Kucharski, 
1287  Fourth  Avenue,  into  district  court. 

Because  Harry  A.  Harries,  24,  2518  North 
Avenue,  wanted  two  dollars  for  a  license  to 
marry  Anna  Francis,  17, 4042  Peachtree  Avenue, 
his  aged  mother  is  dying  this  mornin^-jn  St. 
Elizabeth  Hospital. 


Sometimes,  particularly  in  follow  or  rewrite  stories,  prob- 
able results  become  the  feature. 


Result 


Cause 


Cause  and 
Result 


That  immediate  intervention  in  Mexico  by 
the  United  States  will  be  the  result  of  the  Villa 
raid  last  night  on  Columbus,  N.M.,  is  the  gen- 
eral belief  in  official  Washington  this  morning 


Probable 
Results 


Another  feature  often  played  up  in  leads  is  the  means  or 
method  by  which  a  result  was  attained. 


THE  LEAD 


71         ^ 


A  sensational  half-mashie  shot  to  the  lip  of  Means 
the  cup  on  the  eighteenth  green  won  to-day  for 
Mrs.  Roland  H.  Barlow,  of  the  Merion  Cricket 
Club,  Philadelphia,  over  Miss  Lillian  B.  Hyde, 
of  the  South  Shore  Field  Club,  Long  Island,  in 
the  second  round  of  the  women's  national  golf 
championship  tournament  at  the  Onwentsia 
Club. 

Working  at  night  with  a  tin  spoon  and  a  wire     Method 
nail,  Capt.  Wilhelm  Schuettler  dug  100  feet  to 
liberty  and  escaped  from  the  Hallamshire  camp 
sometime  early  this  morning. 


Often  it  is  necessary  to  feature  the  name: 


Cardinal  Giacomo  della  Chiesa,  archbishop     Name 
of  Bologna,  Italy,  was  to-day  elected  supreme 
pontiff  of  the  Catholic  hierarchy,  in  succession 
to  the  late  Pope  Pius  X,  who  died  Aug.  20.     He 
will  reign  under  the  name  of  Benedict  XV. 

President  Wilson  and  Mrs.  Norman  Gait  Name 
have  selected  Saturday,  Dec.  18,  as  the  date  of 
their  marriage.  The  ceremony  will  be  per- 
formed in  Mrs.  Gait's  residence,  and  the  guests 
will  be  confined  to  the  immediate  members  of 
the  President's  and  Mrs.  Gait's  families. 


Even  the  place  and  the  time  have  to  be  featured  occasion- 
ally. 


New  Orleans  will  be  the  place  of  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  Southern  Congress  of  Education 
and  Industry,  it  was  learned  from  a  member  of 
the  Executive  committee  to-day. 

Chicago  was  selected  by  the  Republican 
National  committee  to-night  as  the  meeting 
place  of  the  1916  Republican  national  conven- 
tion, to  be  held  June  7,  one  week  before  the 
Democratic  convention  in  St.  Louis. 

Monday,  Sept.  20,  is  the  date  finally  set  for 
the  opening  of  the  State  Fair,  it  was  announced 
by  the  Program  Committee  to-day. 


Place 


Place 


Time 


THE  NEWS  STORY 


105.  Form    of   the    Lead.  -  -  The   grammatical    form   in 
which  the  lead  shall  be  written  depends  much  on  the  purpose 
of  the  writer.     Some  of  the  commonest  types  of  beginnings 
are  with:    (i)  a  simple  statement;    (2)  a  series  of  simple 
statements;    (3)   a  conditional   clause;    (4)   a    substantive 
clause;    (5)  an  infinitive  phrase;   (6)  a  participial   phrase; 
(7)  a  prepositional  phrase;    (8)  the  absolute  construction. 

106.  Leads  with  Short  Sentences. --The  value  of  the 
first  two  kinds  is  their  forcefulness.     Often  reporters  break 
what  might  be  a  long,  one-sentence,  summarizing  lead  into 
a  very  short  sentence  followed  by  a  long  one,  or  into  a  num- 
ber of  brief  sentences,  each  of  which  gives  one  important 
detail.     Such  a  type  of  lead  gains  its  force  from  the  fact  that 
it  lends  emphasis  to  the  individual  details  given  in  the  short 
sentences.     Note  the  effect  of  the  following  leads: 

OAK  PARK  HAS  A  "TYPHOID  MARY" 
The  epidemic  of  fever  that  has  been  sweep- 
ing through  the  western  suburb  since  the  high 
school  banquet  more  than  a  month  ago  was 
traced  yesterday  to  a  woman  carrier  who 
handled  the  food  in  the  school  restaurant. 

George  Edward  Waddell,  our  famous  "Rube," 
fanned  out  to-day.  It  was  not  the  first  time 
Rube  had  fanned,  but  it  will  be  his  last.  Tu- 
berculosis claimed  him  after  a  two-year  fight. 

If  Mrs.  Mary  McCormick  sneezes  or  coughs, 
she  will  die.  Her  back  was  broken  yesterday 
by  a  fall  from  a  third-story  window.  Thomas 
Wilson  is  being  held  under  a  $5,000  bond  pend- 
ing her  death  or  recovery,  charged  by  the 
police  with  pushing  her  from  the  window. 

107.  Lead  Beginning   with  a    Conditional    Clause — The 
lead  beginning  with  a  conditional  clause  is  valuable  for 
humorous  effects  or  for  summarizing  facts  leading  up  to  a 
story.    As  a  rule,  however,  one  must  avoid  using  more  than 
two  such  clauses,  as  they  are  liable  to  make  the  sentence 
heavy  or  obscure. 


THE  LEAD 


73 


If  Antony  Fisher,  36,  1946  Garden  Street, 
had  not  written  Dorothy  Clemens  she  was  a 
"little  love,"  he  would  be  worth  $1,000,000 
now.  But  he  wrote  Dorothy  she  was  a  little 
love. 

If  Joe  Kasamowitz,  4236  Queen's  Avenue, 
speaks  to  his  wife  either  at  her  home  or  at  the 
news-stand  she  conducts  at  the  St.  Paul  Hotel; 
if  he  loiters  near  the  entrance  to  the  hotel;  or  if 
he  even  attempts  to  call  his  wife  over  the  tele- 
phone before  Saturday,  he  will  be  in  contempt 
of  court,  according  to  an  injunction  issued  to- 
day by  Judge  Fish. 


108.  Lead  Beginning  with  a  Substantive  Clause.  —  The 

substantive  clause  has  two  main  values  in  the  lead,  —  to 
enable  the  writer  to  begin  with  a  direct  or  an  indirect  question, 
and  to  permit  him  to  shift  to  the  very  beginning  of  the  lead 
important  ideas  that  would  normally  come  at  the  end  of  the 
sentence. 

That  Jim  Jeffries  was  the  greatest  fighter  in 
the  history  of  pugilism  and  Jim  Corbett  the 
best  boxer,  was  the  statement  last  night  by  Bob 
Fitzsimmons  before  a  crowd  of  5,000  at  the  Or- 
pheum  theater. 


That  he  had  refused  to  kiss  her  on  her  return 
from  a  long  visit  and  had  said  he  was  tired  of 
being  married,  was  the  testimony  of  Mrs.  Flora 
Eastman  to-day  in  her  divorce  suit  against 
Edwin  O.  Eastman,  of  St.  Louis. 


109.  Lead  Beginning  with  a  Phrase.  —  Infinitive,  parti- 
cipial, and  prepositional  phrases  are  valuable  mainly  for 
bringing  out  emphatic  details.  But  the  writer  must  be 
careful,  particularly  in  participial  constructions,  to  see  that 
the  phrases  have  definite  words  to  modify. 

To  see  if  the  bullet  was  coming  was  the 
reason  Charlie  Roberts,  aged  7,  2626  Ninth 
Street,  looked  down  his  father's  pistol  barrel  at 
8  :oo  A.  M.  to-day. 


74  THE  NEWS  STORY 

Playing  with  a  rifle  longer  than  his  body, 
three-year-old  Ernest  Rodriguez,  of  Los  An- 
geles, accidentally  shot  himself  in  the  abdomen 
this  morning  and  is  dying  in  the  county  hospital. 


Almost  blinded  with  carbolic  acid,  Fritz 
Storungot,  of  South  Haven,  groped  his  way  to 
Patrolman  Emil  Schulz  at  Third  Street  and 
Brand  Avenue  last  night  and  begged  to  be  sent 
to  the  Emergency  Hospital. 

With  her  hands  and  feet  tied,  Ida  Elionsky, 
16,  swam  in  the  roughest  kind  of  water  through 
Hell  Gate  yesterday,  landing  safely  at  Black- 
well's  Island. 


110.  Lead  Beginning  with  Absolute  Construction.  -  -  The 

absolute  construction  usually  features  causes  and  motives 
forcibly,  but  it  should  be  avoided  by  beginners,  as  it  is  un- 
English  and  tends  to  make  sentences  unwieldy.  The  follow- 
ing illustrates  the  construction  well: 

Her  money  gone  and  her  baby  starving,  Mrs. 
Kate  Allen,  8  Marvin  Alley,  begged  fifteen  cents 
of  a  stranger  yesterday  to  poison  herself  and 
child. 

111.  Accuracy  and  Interest  in  the  Lead.  —  The  two  re- 
quirements made  of  the  lead  are  that  it  shall  possess  ac- 
curacy and  interest.     It  must  have  accuracy  for  the  sake  of 
truth.    It  must  possess  interest  to  lure  the  reader  to  a  perusal 
of  the  story.    Toward  an  attainment  of  both  these  require- 
ments the  reporter  will  have  made  the  first  step  if  he  has 
organized  his  material   rightly,   putting  at   the   beginning 
those  facts  that  will  be  of  most  interest  to  his  readers. 

112.  Clearness.  —  But  the  reporter  will  still  fail  of  his 
purpose  if  he  neglects  to  make  his  lead  clear.    He  must 
guard  against  any  construction  or  the  inclusion  of  any  detail 
that  is  liable  to  blur  the  absolute  clarity  of  his  initial  sentences. 
In  particular,  he  must  be  wary  of  overloaded  leads,  those 
crowded  with  details.    It  is  better  to  cut  such  leads  into 


THE  LEAD 


75 


two  or  more  short,  crisp  sentences  than  to  permit  them  to  be 
published  with  the  possibility  of  not  being  understood.  If 
a  reader  cannot  grasp  readily  the  lead,  the  chances  are  nine 
out  of  ten  that  he  will  not  read  the  story.  Note  the  follow- 
ing overloaded  lead  and  its  improvement  by  being  cut  into 
three  sentences: 


Barely  able  to  see  out  of  her  swollen  and  dis- 
colored eyes,  and  her  face  and  body  covered 
with  cuts  and  bruises,  received,  it  is  alleged, 
when  her  father  attacked  her  because  of  her 
failure  to  secure  work,  Mary  Ellis,  15  years  old, 
living  at  1864  Brown  Street,  when  placed  on 
the  witness  stand  Monday,  told  a  story  which 
resulted  in  Peter  Ellis,  her  father,  being  ar- 
rested on  a  charge  of  assault  with  intent  to  do 
great  bodily  harm. 


Charged  with  beating  unmercifully  his 
daughter,  Mary,  15,  because  she  could  not  ob- 
tain work,  Peter  Ellis,  1864  Brown  Street,  was 
arraigned  in  police  court  Monday.  The  girl 
herself  appeared  against  Ellis.  Her  body,  when 
she  appeared  on  the  witness  stand,  was  covered 
with  cuts  and  bruises,  her  face  black  from  the 
alleged  blows,  and  her  eyes  so  much  swollen 
that  she  could  hardly  see. 

The  following  lead,  too,  is  overloaded  and  all  but  impos- 
sible to  understand: 

Two  letters  written  by  H.  M.  Boynton,  an 
advertising  agent  for  the  Allen-Procter  Co.,  to 
"Dear  Louise,"  in  which  he  confessed*  undying 
love  and  which  are  replete  with  such  terms  of 
endearment  as  "little  love,"  "dear  beloved," 
"sweetheart,"  "honey,"  and  just  plain  "love," 
and  which  were  alleged  by  him  to  have  been 
forged  by  his  wife,  Mrs.  Hannah  Benson  Boyn- 
ton, obtained  a  divorce  for  her  yesterday  in 
district  court  on  the  grounds  of  alienated 
affections. 

Few  readers  would  wade  through  this  maze  of  shifted 
constructions  and  heavy,  awkward  phrasing  for  the  sake  of 


76  THE  NEWS  STORY 


the  divorce  story  following.     In  the  following  form,  however, 
it  readily  becomes  clear: 

Two  love  letters  to  "Dear  Louise"  cost 
H.  M.  Boynton,  advertising  agent  for  the  Allen- 
Procter  Co.,  a  wife  yesterday  in  district  court. 
The  letters  were  produced  by  Mrs.  Hannah 
Benson  Boynton  to  support  her  charge  of  ali- 
enated affections,  and  were  replete  with  such 
terms  of  endearment  as  "undying  love," 
"honey,"  "sweetheart,"  "dear  beloved,"  "little 
love,"  and  just  plain  "love."  Boynton 
claimed  that  the  letters  were  forged. 

113.  Boxed  Summaries  and  Features.  --When  a  story  is 
unusually  long  and  complicated  and  the  number  of  details 
numerous,  or  when  important  points  or  facts  need  particular 
emphasis,  it  is  customary  to  make  a  digest  of  the  principal 
items  and  box  them  in  display  type  before  the  regular  lead. 
Boxed  summaries  at  the  beginning  of  a  story  are  really 
determined  by  the  city  editor  and  the  copy  readers,  but 
a  grouping  of  the  outstanding  facts  for  boxing  is  often  a 
welcome  suggestion  and  a  valuable  help  to  the  sub-editors. 
If  the  reporter  is  in  doubt  about  the  need  of  a  boxed  summary, 
he  may  make  it  on  a  separate  sheet  and  place  it  on  the  city 
editor's  desk  along  with  the  regular  story.  Types  of  stories 
that  most  frequently  have  boxed  summaries  are  accidents, 
with  lists  of  the  dead  and  the  injured  in  bold-face  type; 
important  athletic  and  sporting  events,  with  summaries 
of  the  records,  the  crowds  in  attendance,  the  gate  receipts, 
etc.;  speeches,  trials,  and  executions,  with  epigrams  and  the 
most  important  utterances  of  the  judges,  lawyers,  witnesses, 
or  defendants;  international  diplomatic  letters,  with  the 
main  points  of  discussion  or  most  threatening  statements; 
lengthy  governmental  reports,  etc.  An  illustration  of  the 
boxed  summary  is  the  following,  featuring  the  last  statement 
of  Charles  Becker,  the  New  York  police  lieutenant,  electro- 
cuted in  1915  for  the  death  of  Herman  Rosen  thai: 


THE  LEAD  77 

POLICE  OFFICER  PAYS  PENALTY  WITH  HIS  LIFE 


"MY  DYING  STATEMENT." 

"  Gentlemen :  I  stand  before  you  in  my  full  senses,  knowing 
that  no  power  on  earth  can  save  me  from  the  grave  that  is  to 
receive  me.  In  the  face  of  that,  in  the  face  of  those  who  condemn 
me,  and  in  the  presence  of  my  God  and  your  God,  I  proclaim  my 
absolute  innocence  of  the  foul  crime  for  which  I  must  die. 

"You  are  now  about  to  witness  my  destruction  by  the  state 
which  is  organized  to  protect  the  lives  of  the  innocent.  May 
almighty  God  pardon  everyone  who  has  contributed  in  any  degree  to 
my  untimely  death.  And  now  on  the  brink  of  my  grave,  I  declare 
to  the  world  that  I  am  proud  to  have  been  the  husband  of  the 
purest,  noblest  woman  that  ever  lived,  —  Helen  Becker. 

"This  acknowledgment  is  the  only  legacy  I  can  leave  her.  I 
bid  you  all  good-bye.  Father,  I  am  ready  to  go.  Amen." 

"CHARLES  BECKER." 


Ossining,  N.  Y.,  July  30.  —  At 
peace  with  his  Maker,  a  prayer  on  his 
lips,  but  with  never  a  faltering  of  his 
iron  will,  Charles  Becker  expiated  the 
murder  of  Herman  Rosenthal  at  5:55 
this  morning.  Pinned  on  his  shirt 
above  his  heart,  he  carried  with  him 
the  picture  of  his  devoted  wife.  In 
his  hand  he  clutched  the  crucifix. 

The  death  current  cut  off  in  his 
throat  the  whisper,  "Jesus  have 
mercy."  It  was  not  the  plea  of  a 
man  shaken  and  fearful  of  death, 
but  rather  the  prayer  of  one  with  the 
conviction  that  he  was  innocent. 

Just  before  he  entered  the  death 
chamber  he  declared  to  Father  Curry, 
"I  am  not  guilty  by  deeds,  conspiracy 
or  any  other  way  of  the  death  of 
RosenthaJ.  I  am  sacrificed  for  my 
friends."  Previously  at  4  A.  M.  he 
issued  "My  Dying  Statement."  It 
was  a  passionate  reiteration  of  in- 
nocence, and  is  left  as  his  only  legacy 
to  his  wife:  "I  declare  to  the  world 
that  I  am  proud  to  have  been  the 
husband  of  the  purest,  noblest 
woman  that  ever  lived,  —  Helen 
Becker." 


Absolute  quiet  reigned  in  the  death 
house  at  5.50  A.M.  Suddenly  the  little 
green  door  swung  open.  Becker  ap- 
peared. He  had  no  air  of  bravado. 
Behind  him  in  the  procession  came 
Fathers  Cashin  and  Curry.  Becker 
walked  unassisted  to  the  death 
chamber.  As  he  entered  he  glanced 
about,  seemingly  surprised.  His 
face  had  the  expression  of  a  person 
coming  from  darkness  into  sudden 
light,  but  there  was  no  hint  of  hesi- 
tancy to  meet  death  in  the  stride 
with  which  he  approached  the  chair 
which  had  already  claimed"  the  lives 
of  four  others  in  payment  for  the 
Rosenthal  murder. 

The  doomed  man  held  a  black  cru- 
cifix in  his  left  hand.  It  was  about 
ten  inches  long,  and  as  he  calmly 
took  his  place  in  the  chair,  he  raised 
it  to  his  lips.  Folio  whig  the  chant 
of  the  priests,  he  entoned,  "Oh,  Lord, 
assist  me  in  my  last  agony.  I  give 
you  my  heart  and  my  soul." 

When  all  was  ready,  the  execu- 
tioner stepped  back  and  in  full  view 
of  the  witnesses  calmly  shut  the 
switch.  As  the  great  current  of  elec- 


THE  NEWS  STORY 


tricity  shot  into  the  frame  of  the 
former  master  of  gunmen,  the  big 
body  straightened  out,  tugging  at  the 
creaking  straps.  For  a  few  moments 
it  stretched  out.  A  slight  sizzling 
was  heard  and  a  slight  curl  of  smoke 
went  'up  from  the  right  side  of 
Becker's  head,  rising  from  under  the 
cap.  When  the  shock  was  at  its 
height,  his  grip  tightened  to  the  cru- 
cifix, but  as  the  electrocutioner 
snapped  the  switch  off  the  cross 
slipped  from  the  relaxed  fingers.  A 
guard  caught  it.  The  whole  body 
dropped  to  a  position  of  utter  collapse. 
Becker's  shirt  was  then  opened. 
As  the  black  cloth  was  turned  back 
to  make  way  for  the  stethoscope,  the 
picture  of  Mrs.  Becker  was  revealed. 


It  was  pinned  inside.  The  doctors 
pushed  it  aside  impatiently,  evi- 
dently not  knowing  what  it  was. 
They  held  stethoscopes  to  the  heart. 
Another  shock  was  demanded  of  the 
cool  young  executioner.  He  stepped 
back  and  swung  the  switch  open  and 
shut  again.  The  crumpled  body 
clutched  the  straps  again.  Once 
more  the  doctors  felt  his  heart. 
They  seemed  to  argue  whether  there 
was  still  evidence  of  life.  Once  again 
the  executioner  was  appealed  to  and 
once  again  he  snapped  on  and  off  the 
switch.  The  lips  then  parted  in  a 
smile.  The  stethoscope  was  applied 
and  it  was  declared  that  Becker  was 
dead.  ,  .  1 


114.  Informal  Lead.  —  The  opposite  of  the  summarizing 
lead  is  the  informal,  or  suspense,  lead.  This  type  begins 
with  a  question,  a  bit  of  verse,  a  startling  quotation,  or  one 
or  two  manifestly  unimportant  details  that  tell  little  and 
yet  whet  the  appetite  of  the  reader,  luring  him  to  the  real 
point  of  interest  later  in  the  story.  Such  leads,  sometimes 
known  as  " human  interest"  leads,  are  admittedly  more 
difficult  than  those  of  the  summarizing  type,  their  difficulty 
being  but  one  effect  of  the  cause  which  makes  them  neces- 
sary. An  examination  of  a  large  number  of  these  leads 
shows  that  their  purpose  is  to  make  attractive  news  that 
for  some  cause  is  lacking  in  interest.  Most  frequently  the 
news  is  old;  often  it  is  merely  commonplace;  or  possibly  it 
may  have  come  from  such  a  distance  that  it  lacks  local  in- 
terest. In  such  cases  the  aid  of  the  informal  lead  is  invoked 
for  the  purpose  of  stimulating  the  reader's  interest  and  in- 
ducing him  to  read  the  whole  story.  And  this  explains  the 
difficulty  of  the  informal  lead.  Its  originality  must  com- 
pensate for  the  poverty  of  the  news  it  presents.  It  must  be 
more  attractive,  more  striking,  more  piquant  than  the  or- 

1  George  R.  Holmes,  of  the  United  Press  Associations,  in  The  Appkton  Post, 
July  30,  1915. 


THE  LEAD  79 

dinary  lead.  And  the  only  ways  of  obtaining  this  attract- 
iveness, this  piquancy,  are  by  novelty  of  approach  and  of 
statement.1 

115.  Question  Lead.  —  A  few  illustrations  of  informal 
leads  will  make  clearer  their  exact  nature.  First  may  be 
cited  the  question  lead,  two  examples  of  which  are  given 
below,  with  enough  of  the  story  appended  in  each  case  to 
show  the  method  of  enticing  the  reader  into  the  story. 


How  long  can  the  war  last? 

It's  a  fool  question,  because  there  is  no  certain 
answer.  But  when  there  is  an  unanswerable 
question,  it  is  the  custom  to  look  up  precedents. 
Here  are  a  few  precedents.  .  .  . 

If  you  planned  to  wed  in  September  and 
married  in  July  just  to  suit  your  own  con- 
venience, would  you  be  provoked  if  your  dear 
neighbors  immediately  seated  themselves  and 
wove  a  beautiful  romance  out  of  it? 

Grace  Elliott  Bomarie,  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Charles  Elliott  Bomarie,  of  930  Lawrence 
Avenue,  and  sister  of  Bessie  Bomarie,  former 
famous  champion  golf  player,  was  not  angry 
to-day.  Instead  she  laughed  the  merriest  kind 
of  a  laugh  over  the  telephone  and  said: 

"  Call  me  up  in  half  an  hour  and  I  will  tell  you 
all  about  it." 

But  .she  didn't.  On  the  recall  (that's  the 
proper  word  in  this  day  of  equal  suffrage),  she 
was  not  at  home.  Mrs.  Bomarie  was,  and  said: 

"Please  just  say  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles 
Elliott  Bomarie  announce  the  marriage  of  their 
daughter,  Grace  Elliott,  to  Mr.  Albert  Wingate." 


116.  Verse  Lead.  —  The  lead  beginning  with  a  bit  of 
verse  is  more  difficult  than  the  question  lead  because  of  the 
uncertainty  with  which  most  persons  write  metrical  lines. 
The  following  may  serve  as  a  fairly  successful  attempt: 

1  For  an  additional  discussion  of  the  informal  lead,  see  Chapter  XIX. 


8o 


THE  NEWS  STORY 


U.  S.  JACKIES  WANT  MAIL 

Perhaps  you've  seen  a  jolly  tar 
A-pushing  at  the  capstan  bar 

Or  swabbing  off  the  deck, 
And  figured  that  a  life  of  ease 
Attends  the  Jackie  on  the  seas 

Who  draws  a  U.  S.  check. 
His  lot,  it  seems,  is  not  quite  so; 
Just  hear  this  plaintive  plea  of  woe 
That  comes  from  off  the  BUFFALO. 
The  sailors  rise  to  raise  a  wail 
Because  they  say  they  get  no  mail. 

Will  some  Milwaukee  misses  in  their  spare 
moments  do  Uncle  Sam  a  favor  by  writing  letters 
to  cheer  up  some  of  his  downhearted  nephews 
in  the  navy? 

The  boys  are  just  pining  away  from  lonesome- 
ness,,  owing  to  the  fact  that  no  one  writes  to 
them.  At  least  this  is  the  sorrowful  plea  of  G. 
H.  Jones,  a  sailor  aboard  the  U.  S.  S.  BUFFALO, 
who  writes  THE  SENTINEL  from  San  Francisco 
as  follows: 

Girls  —  Why  not  use  some  of  your  idle  mo- 
ments in  writing  to  us?  I  have  been  in  the  navy 
five  years  and  have  never  received  any  mail. 
G.  H.  Jones,  U.  S.  S.  Buffalo,  San  Francisco, 
Cal.1 


117.  Extraordinary  Statement  in  Lead.  —  An  extraor- 
dinary statement  made  by  a  person  in  a  speech,  an  inter- 
view, or  a  trial  scene  is  often  used  in  the  informal  lead.  If, 
however,  the  quoted  statement  is  so  long  or  of  such  a  nature 
that  it  summarizes  the  whole  story,  it  places  the  lead,  of 
course,  not  in  the  informal  class,  but  in  the  normal  sum- 
marizing group.  The  following  illustrates  well  the  extraor- 
dinary statement: 

1  Milwaukee  Sentinel,  August  7, 1914. 


THE  LEAD 


8l 


S 


FRIEND  WIFE  WENT  TOO  FAR 

Mr.  David  Elliott, 

Chicago. 
Sir: 

You  can  go  to  the  d       J, 
and  the  quicker  the  better. 
Sincerely, 

Your  Wife. 

This  is  the  letter  in  which  David  Elliot  thinks 
his  wife  "went  too  far."  He  produced  it  be- 
fore Judge  David  Matchett  Saturday  in  a  suit 
for  divorce. 


118.  Suspense  Lead.  —  The  most  difficult  to  handle  of 
all  the  informal  leads  is  the  suspense  lead,  where  the  writer 
purposely  begins  with  unimportant  but  enticing  details  and 
lures  the  reader  on  from  paragraph  to  paragraph,  always 
holding  out  a  half-promise  of  something  worth  while  if  one 
will  continue  a  bit  further.  In  this  way  the  reader  is  tempted 
to  the  middle  or  end  of  the  story  before  he  is  told  the  real 
point  of  the  article.  A  difficult  type  of  lead,  this,  but  force- 
ful when  well  handled. 


Pierre  L.  Corbin,  60  years  old,  of  Eatontown, 
who  runs  a  dairy  and  drives  his  own  milk  wagon, 
matched  the  speed  of  his  horse  against  that  of  a 
New  Jersey  Central  train  yesterday  morning  at 
7  o'clock  in  a  race  to  the  crossing  at  Eaton- 
town.  It  was  a  tie.  Both  got  there  at  the 
same  time.1 

There  are  two  ways  of  patching  a  pair  of 
trousers,  —  neatly  and  bluey;  and  probably  no 
tailor  in  Manhattan  is  as  certain  of  it  to-day  as 
Sigmund  Steinbern.  So  he  stated  to  the  police 
yesterday  when  a  customer  sat  him  down  on  his 
lighted  gas  stove,  and  so  he  insisted  last  night 
when  friends  called  to  see  him  at  the  Washing- 
ton Heights  Hospital.  Furthermore,  to  say 
nothing  of  moreover,  he  is  a  tailor  of  standing, 
or  will  be  for  the  next  couple  of  weeks,  and  he 

1  New  York  Times,  August  27, 1915. 


82 


THE  NEWS  STORY 


knows  his  place.    It  is  not,  he  feels,  upon  a  gas 
stove. 

To  friends  who  called  at  the  hospital  to  ask 
Mr.  Steinbern  exactly  what  had  happened  to 
him,  he  said,  by  way  of  changing  the  subject, 
that  he  has  a  sign  in  his  store  upon  which  the 
following  appears: 

EVERYTHING  DONE  IN  A  HURRY 

There,  he  contends,  lies  the  seed  of  the 
trouble.  Regarding  the  seat  of  the  trouble, 
more  anon  .  .  ,1 

119.  Tone.  —  No  matter  which  of  the  two  types  of  lead 
one  uses,  whether  the  summarizing  or  the  informal,  one  point 
further  needs  attention  in  the  writing,  —  the  value  of  con- 
structing such  a  lead  as  will  suggest  the  tone  of  the  story. 
Half  the  leads  that  one  reads  in  the  daily  papers  do  not 
possess  this  touchstone  of  superiority,  but  all  the  le\d£  to 
the  big  stories  have  it.  If  the  article  is  to  be  pathetic, 
tragic,  humorous,  mildly  satirical,  the  lead  should  suggest  it; 
and  the  reporter  will  find  that  in  proportion  as  he  is  able  to 
imbue  his  lead  with  the  story-tone  he  aims  at  in  his  writing, 
so  will  be  the  success  of  his  story.  This  topic  is  discussed 
further  in  the  next  chapter,  but  the  reader  may  consider  at 
this  point  the  two  following  leads,  in  which  one  plainly 
promises  a  sto.ry  of  pathos  and  tragedy;  the  other,  half- 
serious  humor: 

DIED  —  Claus,  Santa,  in  the  American 
Hospital,  Christmas  morning,  aged  n. 

Santa  Claus,  who  wasn't  such  an  old  fellow 
after  all,  overslept  on  the  great  rnorning.  He 
had  gone  to  bed  plain  Vern  Olson  —  not  in  a  toy 
shop  at  the  North  Pole,  but  in  a  little  room  be- 
hind his  widowed  mother's  delicatessen  shop  at 
in  South  Robey  Street. 

The  cause  of  the  high  cost  of  living  has 
been  discovered.  It's  pie,  —  plain  pie.  Teeny 
Terss,  who  runs  a  Greek  restaurant  on  Hodel 
Street,  made  the  announcement  to-day. 

1  New  York  Herald,  December  21, 1915. 


THE  LEAD  83 

120.  Conclusion.  —  Of  the  two  types  of  lead,  the  be- 
ginner is  advised  to  attempt  at  first  only  the  summary  lead, 
relying  on  the  excellence  of  the  news  to  carry  the  story. 
This  kind  of  lead  is  definite.  A  reporter  always  can  know 
when  his  lead  answers  the  questions  who,  what,  when,  where, 
why,  and  how.  And  if  he  has  presented  his  facts  clearly  in 
the  lead,  he  may  feel  a  certain  degree  of  assurance  that  he 
has  been  successful.  .  In  writing  the  informal  lead,  on  the 
contrary,  one  can  never  be  positive  of  anything  or  of  any 
effect.  (And  it  is  a  particular  effect  for  which  the  reporter 
always  must  strive  in  the  informal  lead.)  Climax  and  sus- 
pense are  such  elusive  spirits  that  if  a  writer  but  give  evi- 
dence he  is  seeking  them,  he  immediately  loses  them.  The 
only  safe  plan  for  the  novice,  therefore,  is  to  confine  himself 
at  first  exclusively  to  the  summarizing  lead.  Then  as  his 
hand  becomes  sure,  he  may  take  ventures  with  the  elusive, 
informal,  or  suspense,  lead. 


X.     THE  BODY  OF  THE  STORY 

121.  Inaccuracy    and    Dullness.  —  If    the    reporter    has 
written  a  strong  lead  for  his  story,  he  need  have  small  worry 
about  what  shall  follow,  which  usually  is  little  more  than  a 
simple  narration  of  events  in  chronological  order,  with  in- 
terspersions  of  explanation  or  description.    If  a  wise  choice 
and  arrangement  has  been  made  in  the  organization  of  details, 
the  part  of  the  story  following  the  lead  will  all  but  tell  itself. 
The  reporter's  care  now  must  be  to  maintain  the  interest  he 
has  developed. in  the  lead  and  to  regard  the  accuracy  of  suc- 
ceeding statements.    There  are  just  two  crimes  of  which  a 
newspaper  man  may  be  guilty,  —  inaccuracy  and  dullness. 
And  the  greater  of  these  is  inaccuracy. 

122.  Accuracy.  —  When  a  reporter  is  publishing  a  choice 
bit  of  scandal  or  a  remarkable  instance  of  disregarded  duty, 
it  is  an  easy  thing,  for  the  sake  of  making  the  story  a  good 
one,  or  for  lack  of  complete  information,  to  draw  on  the  im- 
agination or  to  jump  too  readily  at  conclusions,  and  so  pre- 
sent as  facts  not  only  what  may  be  untrue,  but  what  often 
later  proves  entirely  false.    The  ease  of  the  thing  is  argued 
by  the  frequency  with  which  it  is  done.     Such  a  reporter 
does  a  threefold  harm:   he  compels  his  paper  to  humiliate 
itself  later  by  publishing  the  truth;  he  causes  the  public  to 
lose  confidence  in  his  journal;  and  he  does  irreparable  injury 
to    unknown,    innocent    persons.     The    day    following    the 
Eastland  disaster  in  1915,  one  Chicago  paper  ran  the  list  oi 
dead  up  to  eighteen  hundred.    A  week  later  the  same  papei 
was  forced  to  put  the  number  at  less  than  nine  hundred.    A 
rival  publication  in  the  same  city  kept  its  estimate  con- 


THE  BODY  OF  THE  STORY  85 

sistently  in  the  neighborhood  of  nine  hundred,  with  the 
resultant  effect  to-day  of  increased  public  confidence  in  its 
statements.  In  another  city  of  the  Middle  West  judgment 
for  $10,000  has  recently  been  granted  a  complainant  because 
one  of  the  city  staff  made  a  rash  statement  about  the  plaintiff's 
"illicit  love."  The  reporter  was  discharged,  of  course,  but 
that  did  not  repair  the  damage  or  reimburse  the  paper. 

123.  Law  of  Libel.  —  Every  newspaper  man,  as  a  matter 
of  business,  should  know  the  law  of  libel.  It  varies  some- 
.what  in  different  states,  but  the  following  brief  summary 
may  be  taken  as  a  working  basis  until  the  reporter  can  gain 
an  opportunity  to  study  it  in  his  own  state.  In  the  first 
place,  the  law  holds  responsible  not  only  the  owners  of  the 
journal,  but  the  publisher,  the  editor,  the  writer  of  the  of- 
fending article,  and  even  any  persons  selling  the  paper,  pro- 
vided it  can  be  proved  that  they  were  aware  of  the  matter 
contained  in  the  publication.  What  constitutes  libel  is 
equally  far-reaching.  It  is  any  published  matter  that  tends 
to  disgrace  or  degrade  a  person  generally,  or  to  subject  him 
to  public  distrust,  ridicule,  or  contempt.  Any  written 
article  that  implies  or  may  be  generally  understood  to  imply 
reproach,  dishonesty,  scandal,  or  ridicule  of  or  against  a 
person,  or  which  tends  to  subject  such  a  person  to  social 
disgrace,  public  distrust,  hatred,  ridicule,  or  contempt,  is 
libelous.  Even  the  use 'in  an  article  of  ironical  or  sarcastic 
terms  indicating  scorn  or  contempt  is  libelous,  because  such 
expressions  are  calculated  to  injure  the  persons  of  whom 
they  are  spoken.  And  if  an  article  contains  several  expres- 
sions, each  of  which  is  libelous,  each  may  be  a  separate  cause 
for  legal  action.  Nor  is  it  a  defense  to  prove  that  such  rumors 
were  current,  that  such  statements  were  previously  pub- 
lished, or  even  that  the  writer  did  not  intend  the  remarks  to 
do  injury.  If  it  can  be  proved  that  the  article  has  done  in- 
jury, the  writer  and  his  paper  are  guilty  of  libel  and  must 
pay  damages  in  accordance  with  the  enormity  of  the  offense. 


86 


THE  NEWS  STORY 


124.  Avoidance  of  Libel. --When  it  becomes  necessary 
to  make  a  statement  about  a  person  that  may  be  unpleasin ; 
to  him,  the  writer  should  give  the  name  of  the  one  making 
the  charge  or  assertion,  or  else  avoid  making  a  specific  charge 
by  inserting  it  is  alleged,  it  is  rumored,  it  is  charged,  or  some 
such  limiting  phrase.  Actually,  use  of  such  phrases  does  not 
shift  the  responsibility  from  a  newspaper  publishing  a  libel- 
ous  statement.  But  they  avoid  responsibility  to  such  an 
extent  that  if  the  persons  object  and  the  charges  are  found 
to  be  untrue,  the  paper  is  able  to  publish  corrections  later 
without  being  compelled  to  admit  it  has  made  false  charges. 
Note  the  following  story  of  the  arrest  of  two  shop-girls  and 
how  skilfully  the  reporter  avoids  charging  them  with  theft: 


CHARGE  TWO  WITH  SHOPLIFTING 

Edna  K.  Whitter  and  Minnie  Jensen,  sales- 
women in  a  New  Haven  store,  are  under  arrest 
charged  with  shoplifting. 

The  former  is  said  to  have  confessed  after 
goods  valued  at  more  than  $1,000  were  found  in 
her  room.  She  is  said  to  have  implicated  Miss 
Jensen,  who  denies  the  charge. 

Desire  to  dress  elaborately  is  alleged  to  have 
caused  the  young  women  to  steal.  Miss  Jensen 
is  the  daughter  of  a  farmer.  Investigations 
by  detectives^  it  is  said,  may  result  in  more 
arrests.  . 


Whenever  possible,  it  is  well  to  avoid  it  is  said,  it  is  rumored. 
A  story  reads  more  convincingly  when  the  reporter's  authority 
is  given.  And  the  statement  of  the  authority  places  the 
responsibility  where  it  belongs. 

125.    Exaggeration.  —  One  word  further  about  the  East- 
land  disaster  and  loss  of  public  confidence  resulting  from 
exaggerated  stories.     Upon  the  news  article  itself  there  is  < 
very  definite  effect  of  such  exaggeration,  —  that  mere  ex 
travagance  of  statement  often  defeats  its  own  end.     It  is  o 
first  importance  in  writing  that  one's  statements  commanc 


THE  BODY  OF  THE  STORY  87 

the  confidence  of  the  reader.  If  a  reporter  writes  that  the 
wreck  he  has  just  visited  was  the  greatest  in  the  history  of 
railroading,  or  the  bride  the  most  beautiful  ever  joined  in 
the  bonds  of  holy  wedlock,  or  the  flames  the  most  lurid  that 
ever  lit  a  midnight  sky,  the  reader  merely  snickers  and  turns 
to  a  story  he  can  believe.  The  value  of  understatement 
cannot  be  overestimated.  If  one  must  sin  on  the  side  of 
accurate  valuation  of  news,  let  him  err  in  favor  of  under- 
statement rather  than  exaggeration.  Then  when  he  is  forced 
by  actual  facts  to  resort  to  huge  figures,  his  readers  will 
believe  him.  Such  a  policy,  consistently  adhered  to,  will 
always  win  favor  for  a  paper  and  a  reporter. 

126.  "Editorializing."  —  One  other  caution  must  be  given 
in  the  cause  of  accuracy,  that  of  the  necessity  of  presenting 
news  from  an  unbiased  standpoint,  of  eliminating  as  far  as 
possible  the  personal  equation,  —  in  other  words,  of  avoiding 
"editorializing."     The  news  columns  are  the  place  for  the 
colorless  presentation  of  news.     No  attempt  is,  or  should  be, 
made  there  to  influence  public  opinion.     That  function  is 
reserved  for  the  editorial  columns,  and  the  reporter  must  be 
careful  not  to  let  his  personal  views  color  the  articles  he  writes. 
The  following  story  was  written  for  a  small  Wisconsin  paper 
by  a  rabid  political  reporter: 

THOMAS  MORRIS  IN  TOWN 

Thomas  Morris,  lieutenant  governor  of  this 
state  and  candidate  for  the  United  States  senate, 
was  in  Appleton  this  morning  and  spent  the  day 
in  Outagamie  county  shaking  hands  with  those 
who  would.  But  few  would  shake.  He  wanted 
to  speak  while  here,  but  the  enlightened  citizens 
of  this  city  were  right  in  not  letting  him.  Peter 
Tubits  was  his  chief  pilot  through  the  county. 

Needless  to  say,  this  story  was  not  printed. 

127.  Newspaper  Policies.  —  Even  though  it  may  seem  — 
and  in  a  measure  is  —  in  contradiction  to  what  has  just  been 


THE  NEWS  STORY 


said  about  accuracy  and  editorializing,  it  is  nevertheless 
necessary  before  passing  the  subject  to  comment  on  the 
necessity  of  a  reporter's  observing  a  paper's  editorial  policies, 
-  to  say,  in  other  words,  that  all  news  is  not  unbiased.  For 
instance,  if  a  newspaper  is  undertaking  a  crusade  against 
midwives  or  pawnshops  or  certain  political  leaders,  it  gives 
those  institutions  or  those  persons  little  or  no  credit  for  the 
good  they  accomplish,  nor  does  it  feature  impartially  in  its 
news  articles  their  good  and  bad  acts.  Yet  such  institutions 
or  persons  must  have  accomplished  much  good  to  arrive  at 
the  rank  or  position  they  now  hold,  and  must  continue  to  be 
of  service  to  retain  their  standing.  The  following  story, 
which  appeared  in  a  paper  crusading  against  pawnshops 
and  pistol  carrying,  is  an  illustration  of  what  is  meant  by 
biased  news: 


JILTED,  ENDS  LIFE  WITH  A  GUN 

Israel  Weilman  was  in  love.  Three  months 
ago  the  girl  told  him  she  would  not  marry  him. 
Last  night  Weilman  left  his  quarters  at  875 
Banker  Street  and  went  to  the  home  of  Rebecca 
Schussman,  904  South  Pueblo  Avenue,  where 
his  room-mate  and  cousin,  David  Isaacs,  was 
calling. 

"Here  are  the  keys  to  the  room,"  he  told  his 
cousin,  "I  will  not  be  home  to-night." 

Then  Weilman  departed.  A  few  minutes 
later  a  shot  was  heard  in  the  alley  back  of  the 
Schussman  home.  They  found  Weilman  dead 
with  a  bullet  wound  through  his  heart.  Beside 
him  was  a  new  "American  bulldog"  revolver, 
retailing  for  $1.50.  In  his  pocket  was  a  ticket 
of  sale  from  the  Angsgewitz  pawnshop.  The 
profit  on  this  style  of  weapon  is  about  25  cents. 


Illustrations  of  prejudiced  political  news  may  be  found  daily 
in  any  newspaper. 

128.   Observing    a    Paper's    Policies.  —  It    is    necessary, 
therefore,  to  modify  the  preceeding  statements  about  un- 


THE   BODY   OF  THE   STORY  89 

biased  news.  Those  assertions  express  the  millennial  dream, 
colorless  news,  that  American  journalism  is  always  approach- 
ing as  an  ideal,  but  has  not  yet  reached.  From  the  same 
Associated  Press  dispatch  a  Georgia  and  a  Pennsylvania 
daily  can  produce  stories  respectively  of  success  and  dis- 
sension in  the  Democratic  party.  From  the  same  cable 
bulletin  a  Milwaukee  and  a  New  York  paper  can  obtain 
German  victory  and  English  repulse  of  repeated  Teutonic 
attacks.  Not  only  can,  but  do.  It  is  only  fair  to  the  would- 
be  reporter,  therefore,  to  tell  him  that  at  times  in  his  journal- 
istic career  he  may  be  permitted  to  see  snow  only  through  a 
motorist's  yellow  goggles.  The  modern  newspaper  is  a 
business  organization  run  for  the  profit  or  power  of  the 
owners,  with  the  additional  motive  in  the  background  of 
possible  social  uplift,  —  social  uplift  as  the  owners  see  it. 
They  determine  a  paper's  policies,  and  a  reporter  must  learn 
and  observe  those  policies  if  he  expects  to  succeed. 

129.  Following  Commands.  —  Observance  of  this  in- 
junction is  particularly  valuable  in  stories  relating  to  political 
and  civic  measures.  If  one  is  on  a  paper  with  Republican 
affiliations,  one  may  be  forced  to  hear  and  report  a  G.  O.  P. 
governor's  speech  with  an  elephant's  ears  and  trumpet,  — 
or  with  a  moose's  ears  and  voice  if  the  journal  is  Progressive. 
It  makes  no  difference  what  the  reporter's  personal  feeling 
or  party  preferences  may  be.  On  such  papers  he  must  follow 
precisely  the  commands  of  the  managing  editor  or  the  city 
editor  and  must  feature  sympathetically  or  severely  what 
they  request.  Usually  an  intelligent  sympathy  with  the 
general  policy  of  the  paper  is  sufficient  for  a  reporter,  no 
matter  how  conscientious.  It  is  only  rarely  that  he  is  tram- 
meled with  being  forced  to  write  contrary  to  his  convictions. 
But  at  those  times  when  such  commands  are  given,  he  must 
see  and  write  as  requested  or  seek  another  position. 

130.   Consistency  of  Policy.  —  On  the  other  hand,  suppose 
in  policies  affecting  the  official  standing  of  a  newspaper  every 


go  THE  NEWS  STORY 

reporter  saw  and  presented  events  from  his  own  distorted 
angle.  How  consistent  would  a  modern  newspaper  be? 
And  how  long  could  it  hold  the  respect  or  patronage  of  its 
readers? 

131.  Clearness.  —  Next  in  importance  to  accuracy  comes 
interest.     A  story  must  be  interesting  to  be  read.     Every 
paragraph  must  be  clear.     Its  relation  to  every  other  para- 
graph must  be  evident,  and  the  story  as  a  whole  must  be 
presented  so  that  it  may  be  understood  and  enjoyed  by  the 
reader  with  as  small  expenditure  of  mental  effort  as  possible. 
Ideas  that  are  connected  in  thought,  either  by  virtue  of  their 
sequence  in  time  or  for  other  reasons,  must  be  kept  together, 
and  ideas  that  are  separated  in  thought  must  be  kept  apart. 
If  the  story  is  one  covering  considerable  length  of  time,  care 
must  be  taken  to  keep  the  different  incidents  separated  in 
point  of  time  so  that  the  reader  may  understand  readily  the 
relation  of  the  different  events  to  each  other.     The  tenses 
of  the  verbs,  too,  must  be  kept  consistent,  logical.     One 
cannot  shift  at  will  from  past  time  to  the  present,  and  vice 
versa.     If  the  story  is  a  follow-up  of  an  event  that  occurred 
before  to-day  and  has  been  written  up  before,  the  body  of 
the  story  should  contain  a  sufficient  summary  of  the  preced- 
ing events  to  make  the  details  readily  clear  to  all  readers,  — 
even  though  the  lead  may  already  have  included  a  con- 
necting link.     The  summary  of  events  in  the  lead  must 
necessarily  have  been  brief;    the  review  in  the  body  of  the 
story  may  be  presented  at  greater  length. 

132.  Coherence.  —  A  valuable  aid  in  gaining  clearness 
is  a  proper  regard  for  coherence,  for  obtaining  which  there 
are  four  ways  within  a  story:  (i)  by  arrangement  of  the  facts 
and  statements  in  a  natural  sequence  of  ideas;    (2)  by  use 
of  pronouns;    (3)  by  repetition;  and  (4)  by  use  of  relation 
words,  phrases,  and  clauses.     Discussion  has  already  been 
given,  in  Chapter  VIII,  on  the  organization  of  material,  of 
the  necessity  of  logical  arrangement  of  the  story.     If  one 


THE  BODY  OF  THE  STORY  91 

has  made  a  proper  grouping  there,  one  will  have  taken  the 
first  step,  and  the  surest,  toward  adequate  coherence.  Of 
the  three  remaining  methods,  probably  the  greatest  newspaper 
men  are  strongest  in  their  use  of  pronouns,  such  as  these,  those, 
that,  them,  etc.  They  also  avail  themselves  freely  of  a  skillful 
repetition  of  words,  —  the  third  method,  which  stands  almost, 
but  not  quite  equal  to  the  use  of  pronouns  in  effectiveness 
and  frequency.  The  following  fire  story  exhibits  a  happy 
repetition  of  words  for  holding  the  ideas  in  easy  sequence. 
Note  in  it  the  skillful  repetition  of  firemen,  fire,  whiskey, 
building,  casks,  canal. 

$750,000  WORTH  OF  WHISKEY  BURNS 

Firemen  had  to  fight  a  canal  full  of  blazing 
whiskey  here  to-day  when  a  fire  broke  out  in 
the  building  of  the  Distillery  Company,  Ltd. 
Twelve  thousand  casks  of  liquor  were  stored  in 
the  building.  The  conflagration  spread  rapidly 
and  the  explosion  of  the  casks  released  the 
whiskey,  which  made  a  burning  stream  of  the 
canal. 

Firemen  pumped  water  from  the  bottom  of 
the  canal  and  played  it  on  the  blazing  surface. 
The  loss  is  estimated  at  $750,000. 

133.  Relation  Words.  —  In  other  kinds  of  writing  there 
is  a  tendency  to  use  relation  words,  phrases,  and  clauses 
freely  between  sentences  and  paragraphs.  But  in  news 
writing  the  paucity  of  such  expressions  for  subconnection  — • 
moreover,  finally,  on  the  other  hand,  in  the  next  place,  now  that 
we  have  mentioned  the  cause  of  the  divorce  —  is  noteworthy. 
Editors  and  the  news-reading  public  demand  that  the  ideas 
follow  each  other  so  closely  and  that  the  style  be  so 
compressed  in  thought  that  there  shall  be  small  need  of 
connectives  between  sentences.  It  is  this  demand,  plus  a 
desire  for  emphasis,  that  is  responsible  for  the  so-called 
bing-bing-bing  style  of  writing,  of  which  the  following  is  a 
fair  illustration: 


THE  NEWS  STORY 


After  killing  Mrs.  Benton,  Wallace,  and  the 
Weston  boy,  Carl  ton  set  fire  to  the  Lewis  "love 
bungalow."  The  wounded  were  unable  to 
care  for  themselves.  They  narrowly  escaped 
death  in  the  burning  building.  Arrival  of  rescu- 
ing parties  attracted  by  the  fire  alone  saved 
their  lives. 

A  hatchet  was  the  weapon  used  by  Carlton. 

The  slayer  escaped  after  the  wholesale 
murder.  He  is  thought  to  be  headed  for 
Chicago.  A  posse  under  command  of  Sheriff 
Bauer  of  Spring  Green  is  hunting  the  man. 

The  story  of  the^  terrible  tragedy  enacted'  in 
the  Lewis  "love  bungalow,"  where  for  some 
years  the  celebrated  sculptor  and  the  former 
Mrs.  Cross  had  been  living  in  open  defiance  of 
the  conventionalities,  was  a  gruesome  one  as  it 
came  to  light  to-day. 

Carlton  is  twenty-eight  years  old.  He  is 
married.  His  wife  lived  with  him  at  the  Lewis 
home.  He  had  been  employed  by  Lewis  for 
six  months.  He  was  formerly  employed  by 
John  Z.  Hobart,  proprietor  of  Hobart's  restau- 
rant. He  is  five  feet  eight  inches  tall,  of  medium 
build  and  light  in  color. 

What  caused  the  trouble  or  the  fury  of  Carlton 
is  not  known. 

Who  first  fell  is  not  known. 

What  is  known  of  the  tragedy  is  this: 

Shortly  after  noon  to-day  villagers  in  the 
little  village  of  Spring  Valley,  where  the  Lewis 
bungalow  is  and  always  has  been  something  of 
a  mystery  as  well  as  a  wonder  to  the  residents, 
saw  smoke  coming  from  the  "love  bungalow"  on 
the  hills.  Villagers  ran  to  the  place.  The 
fire  department  responded  to  the  alarm. 

The  bungalow  was  rapidly  being  consumed. 
Some  one  entered  the  house.  It  was  a  shambles. 
Mrs.  Benton  was  found  dead.  Wallace  was 
dead.  Both  had  been  literally  chopped  to 
pieces  by  the  infuriated  negro. 

The  bungalow  was  barricaded  before  entrance 
was  forced.  After  the  dead  had  been  dis- 
covered the  wounded  were  found.  They  were 
dragged  out.  The  conscious  told  disjointed 
stories  of  the  tragedy  and  of  the  awful  fury  that 
seemed  to  possess  Carlton,  the  cook. 


THE  BODY  OF  THE  STORY  93 

The  latter  was  not  to  be  found.  He  was  at 
first  thought  to  have  taken  to  the  hills.  Later 
it  was  thought  he  might  be  hiding  in  the  under- 
ground root  cellar  but  no  search  lights  were 
available. 

Men  with  guns  surrounded  the  house. 

The  negro  will  be  lynched  if  he  is  found,  it 
was  thought  this  afternoon.1 

134.  Bing-Bing-Bing   Style.  —  On   the  whole,   this  bing- 
bing-bing  style  of  writing  cannot  be  commended.     Its  value 
in  rapid  narrative,  where  excitement  prevails  and  the  reader's 
emotions  are  greatly  aroused,  is  evident.     But  the  style, 
indulged  in  too  freely,  produces  a  fitful,  choppy  effect  that 
is  not  good.     The  sentences  should  be  longer  and  more  varied 
in  construction.     Examination  of  the  preceding  illustration 
shows  that  it  has  only  three  words  or  phrases  used  for  sub- 
connection,  and  only  four  complex  sentences. 

135.  Emphasis.  —  Next  to  clearness  in  holding  the  in- 
terest of  the  reader  comes  emphasis,  which  may  be  had  by 
avoidance  of  vague  literary  phrasing,  by  a  due  regard  for 
tone  in  the  story,  and  by  condensation  of  expression.     The 
first  two  overlap,  since  the  whole  tone  of  a  story  may  easily 
be    destroyed   by '  an   affectation    of   literary   phraseology. 
These  two,  therefore,  may  be  considered  together. 

136.  Vague »  Literary    Phrasing.  —  Many    cub    reporters 
feel,  when  they  begin  to  write,  that  they  must  express  them- 
selves in  a  literary  style,  and  to  gain  that  style  they  affect 
sonorous,  grandiloquent  phrases  that  sound  well  but  mean 
little.     In  nine  cases  out  of  ten  these  phrases  are  the  inven- 
tions of  others  and  meant  much  as  used  in  their  original  con- 
nection.    But  as  adopted  now  by  a  novice,  they  are  vague, 
only  hazily  expressive,  lacking  in  that  sharp  precision  nec- 
essary for  forceful  presentation  of  news. 

137.  Tone.  —  It  is  this  vagueness  of  expression  that  as 
often  as  not  destroys  the  tone  of  the  story.     One  may  be 

1  Chicago  American. 


94 


THE  NEWS  STORY 


aiming  at  portraying  the  dignity  and  simplicity  of  a  wedding 
or  the  unmarred  happiness  of  the  occasion,  but  if  one  attempts 
to  equal  the  joy  of  the  event  with  the  bigness  of  his  words, 
one  will  produce  upon  the  reader  an  effect  of  revulsion  rather 
than  interest.  An  ignorant,  but  well-meaning,  reporter  on 
an  Eastern  weekly  concluded  a  wedding  story  with  the  fol- 
lowing sentences: 

After  the  union  of  Miss  Petty  and  Mr. 
Meydam  in  the  holy  .bonds  of  wedlock,  the 
beautiful  bride  and  handsome  groom  and  all 
•the  knights  and  ladies  present  repaired  to  the 
dining-room,  where  a  bounteous  supper  inter- 
spersed with  mirth  and  song  awaited  them. 
After  which  they  tripped  the  light  fantastic  toe 
until  the  wee  small  hours  of  the  morning,  when 
all  repaired  to  their  beds  of  rest  and  wrapt 
themselves  in  the  arms  of  Morpheus. 

This  selection  happens  to  be  a  conglomeration  mainly  of 
worn-out  expressions  current  in  literature  for  the  past  two 
or  three  centuries.  But  any  use  of  phrases  too  large  or  too 
emotional  for  the  thought  to  be  conveyed  will  result  in  an 
equally  dismal  failure.  All  the  words,  phrases,  and  ideas 
in  the  following  are  the  writer's  own,  but  the  effect  is  prac- 
tically the  same  as  in  the  preceding  story: 

The  scene  and  the  occasion  were  both  inspir- 
ing. The  music  was  furnished  by  the  birds, 
which  were  at  their  best  on  this  bridal  day.  A 
meadowlark  called  to  his  mate  across  the  lake, 
asking  if  he  might  come  and  join  her.  A  brown 
thrush  in  a  tree  on  the  hill  near  by  sent  forth 
across  the  water  a  carol  full  of  love  and  melody 
such  as  a  Beethoven  or  a  Chopin  would  strive  in 
vain  to  imitate.  The  hills  were  dressed  in  their 
prettiest  robes  of  green.  The  water  was  quiet. 
Nature  was  at  her  best.  And  the  bride  and 
groom,  both  in  tastiness  of  dress  and  in  spirits, 
were  in  harmony  with  nature. 

The  writer,  top,  in  striving  after  a  definite  tone  must  be 
equally  apprehensive  of  unintended  suggestions  caused  by 


THE  BODY  OF  THE  STORY  95 

an  unfortunate  closeness  of  unrelated  ideas.  This  fault  was 
illustrated  in  a  story  by  an  Iowa  reporter  who  wrote  that 
"Lon  Stegle  took  Mrs.  Humphrey  and  a  load  of  hogs  to  Santo 
Monday,"  and  of  an  unwitting  Pennsylvania  humorist  who 
said,  "Audry  Richardson,  while  visiting  his  sweetheart  in 
Freedonia  last  Sunday  sprained  his  arm  severely  and  won't 
be  able  to  use  it  for  ten  days  or  two  weeks."  If  the  tone  of 
the  story  is  meant  to  be  dignified,  unintended  humor  may 
make  the  presentation  absurd. 

138.  Varied  Sentence  Length.  -  -  The  story  tone  is  greatly 
affected  also  by  the  length  of  the  sentences.     If  one's  sen- 
tences are  unnecessarily  long,  the  effect  will  be  heavy  and 
tiresome.     If  they  are  markedly  short,  the  result  will  be  a 
monotonous,  choppy,  jolfing  effect,  like  a  flat  wheel  on  a 
street-car.     The  bing-bing-bing  style  just  discussed  is  an 
illustration  of  the  latter.     The  writer  should  aim  at  a  happy 
medium,  with  simple  constructions  and  a  tendency  toward 
shorter  sentences  than  in  other  kinds  of  writing.     Twenty 
words  make  a  good  average  sentence  length.     It  is  necessary 
to  remember  that  one's  stories  are  read  not  only  by  the  literati, 
but  by  the  uneducated  as  well.     One  must  make  one's  style, 
therefore,  so  fluent,  so  easy,  that  a  man  with  a  speaking  vo- 
cabulary of  five  hundred  words  can  read  and  enjoy  all  one 
writes. 

139.  Condensation.  -  -  The  value  of  condensation  of  ex- 
pression need  not  be  discussed  at  length  here  as  it  is  taken 
up  fully  in  the  next  chapter.     Suffice  it  to  say  now,  however, 
that  a  diffuse  style  is  never  forceful.     The  reporter  must 
condense  his  ideas  into  the  smallest  space  possible.     Often 
that  space  is  designated  by  the  city  editor  when  the  reporter, 
on  his  return  to  the  office,  asks  for  instructions,  and  nearly 
always  it  is  only  about  half  enough.     But  he  must  follow 
directions  to  the  letter.     Woe  to  the  novice  who  presents 
a  thousand  words,  or  even  six  hundred,  when  the  city  editor 
calls  for  five  hundred.     Sometimes,  however,  he  will  find 


96  THE  NEWS  STORY 

that  the  city  editor  has  allotted  him  more  space  than  he  can 
easily  fill.  In  such  a  case,  let  him  give  length  by  introducing 
additional  details.  Mere  words  will  not  suffice.  They  do 
not  make  a  story. 

140.  Final  Test  of  a  Story.  —  The  two  cares  for  the  re- 
porter, then,  in  writing  the  body  of  the  story  are  accuracy 
and  interest.  Accuracy  is  worth  most,  and  is  attained  by 
strict  adherence  to  truth,  with  plenty  of  proof  for  the  truth 
in  case  it  is  questioned  after  publication.  Interest  may  be 
had  by  making  all  statements  clear,  coherent,  forceful.  But 
there  is  no  precise  form  or  method  by  which  accuracy  and 
interest  may  be  obtained.  The  reporter  is  given  unlimited 
range  in  selecting,  organizing,  and  writing  his  news.  He 
may  follow  o^  disregard  at  will  the  standard  types  of  other 
newspaper  men's  stories,  which  should  be  taken  as  models 
only,  never  as  laws.  For  the  final  test  of  the  goodness  of  a 
story  is  its  effect  upon  the  reader.  If  it  attains  the  desired 
result  without  conforming  to  the  patterns  given  by  other 
writers,  it  will  become  a  new  pattern  for  itself  and  for  similar 
stories.  Get  accuracy  and  interest,  then,  no  matter  what 
the  method. 


XI.     THE  PARAGRAPH 

141.  Paragraph  a  Mark  of  Punctuation.  —  Discussion  of 
the  paragraph  really  belongs  under  the  head  of  punctuation, 
since  its  purpose  is  to  set  off  the  larger  divisions  of  the  story 
in  the  same  way  that  the  period  and  the  comma  mark  sen- 
tences and  phrases.     The  indention  of  the  first  line  catches 
the  eye  of  the  reader  and  notifies  him  silently  to  stop  for  a 
summary   of  his   impressions  before   starting  a   somewhat 
different  phase  of  the  story.     Its  purpose,  like  that  of  the 
other  marks  of  punctuation,  is  clearness  and  emphasis.     Yet 
since  its  very  lax  laws  are  much  the  same  as  those  of  the  story, 
it  must  be  noticed  independently. 

142.  Clearness.  -  -  The    first    requirement    of    the    para- 
graph is  that  it  shall  be  clear.     Its  relation  to  the  paragraphs 
preceding  and  following  must  be  evident  at  a  glance.     If 
transitional  phrases  and  sentences  or  relation  words  are  neces- 
sary for  making  the  relation  clear,  use  them;   but  as  a  rule, 
as  stated  concerning  the  story  as  a  whole,  reliance  for  clear- 
ness in  and  between  paragraphs  is  placed  mainly  on  the 
natural  and  close  sequence  of  ideas. 

143.  Emphasis.  —  Next  to  clearness,  the  important  thing 
to  strive  for  in  the  news  paragraph  is  emphasis.     Proper 
emphasis  is  not  a  virtue;   it  is  a  necessity,  because  the  eye 
of  the  rapid  reader,  as  he  glances  down  the  columns  of  the 
paper,  catches  only  the  first  words  and  phrases  at  each  para- 
graph indention.     And  according  as  those  words  and  phrases 
interest  him,  so  will  he  take  sufficient  interest  in  the  para- 
graph as  a  whole  to  read  it.     For  this  reason  the  beginning  of 
each  paragraph  especially  should  be  emphasized  by  placing 


98  THE  NEWS  STORY 

there  the  most  important  details.  The  reporter  should  guard 
against  putting  even  dependent  clauses  and  phrases  used  for 
subconnection  at  the  beginning  of  a  paragraph,  but  should 
envelop  them,  rather,  within  the  sentence.  He  should  not 
begin  successive  paragraphs  with  the  same  words  or  phrases 
or  with  the  same  construction.  It  is  remarkable  how  un- 
favorably such  small  details  influence  readers.  All  this  does 
not  mean  that  the  paragraph  should  end  lamely.  It  cannot 
conclude  with  the  emphasis  of  the  beginning,  it  is  true,  but 
it  may  be  well  rounded  at  the  end  and  its  lack  of  emphasis 
in  details  may  be  compensated  with  vigor  and  deftness  of 
expression. 

144.  Paragraph  Length.  -  -  The  length  of  one's  paragraphs 
should  also  be  a  matter  of  due  consideration.  They  must 
be  not  only  brief,  but  brief  looking.  The  modern  reader 
will  not  brook  long  ones.  Single-sentence  paragraphs  are 
frequent,  particularly  in  the  lead.  Two-  or  three-sentence 
paragraphs  are  common.  Half -column  paragraphs  are  un- 
endurable. The  average  newspaper  column  permits  lines 
of  about  seven  words  each,  so  that  twenty  lines,  or  140  words, 
should  be  the  limit  of  a  paragraph.  Eight  or  ten  lines  is 
a  good  average  length.  Because  of  this  necessary  brevity, 
the  newspaper  paragraph  allows  no  topics  and  subtopics 
within  its  limited  space,  but  throws  every  subtopic  into  an 
individual  paragraph.  This  the  reporter  may  follow  as  a 
safe  rule  in  paragraphing:  whenever  in  doubt  about  the 
advisability  of  a  new  paragraph,  make  one. 


XII.     THE  SENTENCE1 

145.  Requisites.  -  -  The  same  laws  of  accuracy  and  in- 
terest hold  for  the  sentence  as  for  the  story  as  a  whole.     But 
in  the  sentence  they  are  more  rigid,  —  due  in  the  main  to 
the  fact  that  the  sentence  is  briefer  and  more  readily  ana- 
lyzable.     And  while  one  sympathizes  with  the  overworked 
reporter  who  served  notice  upon  critical  college  professors 
that  "when  the  hands  of  the  clock  are  near  on  to  press  time, 
and  I  have  a  million  things  to  write  in  a  few  minutes,  I  don't 
give  a  whoop  if  I  do  end  a  few  sentences  with  prepositions," 
and  concluded  by  saying,  "If  I  had  as  much  time  as  the 
average  college  professor  has,  I  probably  could  write  good 
grammar,    too"; — while   one  sympathizes  with  the  time- 
driven  newspaper  man  who  never  has  sufficient  leisure  to 
polish  a  story  as  he  would  like,  the  fact  still  remains  that 
the  reader  cannot  tell  from  looking  at  a  story,  nor  should 
he  be  allowed  to  tell,  how  much  rushed  the  reporter  was. 
The  only  thing  the  reader  is  interested  in  is  the  story, 
whether  it  is  good  or  not;  and  if  he  does  not  regard  it  as 
worth  while,  if   the  sentences   are   faulty,  ungrammatical, 
weak,  he  will  read  another  story  or  another  paper. 

146.  Grammar.  -  -  The  first  point  to  regard  in  seeking 
accuracy  in  the  sentence  is  good  grammar.    This  may  seem 
a  trivial  injunction  to  offer  a  coming  star  reporter  on  a  great 
metropolitan  daily;   but  the  city  editor's  assistants  have  to 
correct  more  grammatical  errors  in  cub  copy  than  any  other 
kind  of  mistake  except  spelling  and  punctuation.     The  main 
violations  of  grammar  may  be  classified  conveniently  under 

1  Teachers  having  classes  sufficiently  advanced  may  find  it  advisable 
to  pass  hastily  over  this  chapter,  or  may  omit  it  entirely. 


100 


THE  NEWS  STORY 


four  heads:    faulty  reference,  incorrect  verb  forms,  failure 
in  coordinating  and  subordinating  different  parts  of  a  sen- 
tence, and  poor  ellipsis. 

147.  Pronouns  Referring  to  Ideas.  —  Probably  the  most 
prolific  cause  of  bad  grammar  and  of  obscurity  of  meaning 
in  news  writing  may  be  found  in  the  use  of  unclear  pronouns. 
One  or  more  instances  may  be  found  in  almost  every  paper 
a  reader  examines.  A  reporter  should  assure  himself  that 
every  pronoun  he  uses  refers  to  a  particular  word  in  the  sen- 
tence and  that  it  agrees  with  that  word  in  gender  and  number. 
The  use  of  a  pronoun  to  refer  to  a  general  idea  not  expressed 
in  a  particular  word  is  one  of  the  commonest  causes  of  am- 
biguity and  obscurity  in  newspaper  work.  In  the  following 
sentence  note  what  a  ludicrous  turn  is  given  the  sentence  by 
the  use  of  which  referring  to  an  idea: 


A  card  from  C.  A.  Laird,  son  of  Harry  Laird, 
informs  the  Democrat  that  his  father  is  slightly 
improved  and  that  they  now  have  hopes  of  his 
recovery,  although  he  suffers  much  pain  from 
his  fractured  jaw,  which  will  be  good  news  to  his 
many  Lock  Haven  friends. 


148.  Agreement  of  Pronouns  in  Number.  —  A  second 
prime  cause  of  incorrect  reference  is  found  in  a  writer's 
failure  to  make  a  reference  word  agree  in  number  with  the 
noun  to  which  it  refers.  Such  faulty  reference  occurs  most 
frequently  after  collective  nouns,  such  as  mob,  crowd,  council, 
jury,  assembly;  after  distributive  pronouns,  such  as  everyone, 
anybody,  nobody;  and  after  two  or  more  singular  and  plural 
nouns,  where  the  reporter  forgets  momentarily  to  which  he 
is  referring.  In  the  following  sentences  note  that  each  of 
the  italicized  pronouns  violates  one  or  more  of  these  prin- 
ciples, thereby  polluting  the  clearness  of  the  meaning: 


The  mob  was  already  surrounding  the  at- 
torney's home,  but  they  moved  so  slowly  that 
we  got  in  ahead. 


THE  SENTENCE 


101 


We  have  heard  more  than  one  express  them- 
selves that  next  year  Merrillan  should  have  the 
biggest  celebration  of  the  century. 

Everyone  who  had  any  interest  in  the  boat 
was  inquiring  about  their  friends  and  relatives. 

A  peculiar  thing  about  each  one  was  that  they 
chose  a  husband  with  a  given  name  that  rhymed 
much  the  same  with  their  own.  Mrs.  Baker 
was  Josephine  Ramp  and  secured  Joe  as  her 
husband;  Arnie  Hallauer  and  Annie  Ramp, 
Gust  Lumblad  and  Gusta  Ramp,  and  Eugene 
Carver  and  Ella  Ramp.  The  latter  is  a  widow. 
The  given  name  of  each  one  commences  with 
the  same  letter  in  each  instance. 

149.  Ambiguous  Antecedents.  -  -  Then  there  is  a  use  of 
the  pronoun  with  an  unclear  antecedent  buried  somewhere 
in  the  sentence,  so  that  the  pronoun  seems  to  refer  to  an  in- 
tervening word.     Such  a  misuse  really  is  a  matter  of  clearness 
rather  than  of  grammar,  and  should  come  under  the  next 
section  of  this  chapter,  but  it  will  be  discussed  here  for  the 
sake  of  including  all  misuses  of  the  pronoun  at  once.     The 
ambiguous  use  of  pronouns  is  the  most  common  error  of 
faulty  reference.     The  following  are  typical  illustrations: 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Tomlinson  states  that  he  wants 
a  steady,  religious  young  man  to  look  after  his 
garden  and  care  for  his  cow  who  has  a  good  voice 
and  is  accustomed  to  singing  in  the  choir. 

Atkinson  telephoned  that  he  was  at  Zeibski's 
corners  in  his  machine  and  had  his  wife  with 
him.  She  had  died  on  him  and  he  wanted  the 
garage  company  to  come  out  and  pull  her  in. 

150.  Split  Infinitive.  —  Next  to  faulty  reference  in  fre- 
quency comes  the  use  of  incorrect  verb  forms.     Of  these 
probably  the  most  common  error  among  cub  reporters  is 
the  employment  of  the  split  infinitive,  —  to  quickly  run  in- 
stead of  to  run  quickly.     The  split  infinitive  is  not  necessarily 
an  error.    There  are  times  when  one's  precise  meaning  can 
be  expressed  only  by  the  use  of  an  adverb  between  to  and 


THE  NEWS  STORY 


its  infinitive.  But  as  a  rule  one  should  avoid  the  construction 
Certainly  there  was  no  excuse  for  the  following  in  a  Chicagc 
paper: 

President  Yuan  Shi  Kai  declared  he  was  will- 
ing to  permit  Professor  Frank  Johnson  Good- 
no  w  of  Brooklyn,  legal  adviser  to  the  Chinese 
government,  to  in  August  accept  the  presidency 
of  Johns  Hopkins  University. 

151.   Infinitive  and  Participle  with  Verbs.  —  The  use  o 

the  infinitive  and  the  participle  with  the  past  tense  of  verb: 
is  also  a  cause  of  frequent  error.  Our  English  rule  regard 
ing  these  parts  of  the  verb  is  mainly  a  matter  of  usage,  ac- 
curacy in  which  may  be  attained  only  by  habits  of  correci 
speech.  But  if-  the  reporter  will  bear  in  mind  that  th( 
infinitive  and  the  participle  have  no  finite  tense  of  their  own 
that  they  always  express  time  relative  to  the  time  of  the  mair 
verb,  he  will  have  taken  a  real  precaution  toward  prevent 
ing  confusion.  For  example,  the  newspaper  man  who  wrote 

Detective  McGuire  had  intended  to  have 
arrested  him  when  he  began  blowing  the  safe, 

did  not  say  what  he  meant,  because  the  past  infinitive  her< 
makes  the  writer  say  that  Detective  McGuire  had  intendec 
to  have  the  yeggman  already  under  arrest  when  he  begai 
blowing  the  safe.  What  the  writer  meant  to  say  was: 

Detective  McGuire  had  intended  to  arrest  him 
when  he  began  blowing  the  safe. 

Likewise  the  reporter  was  inaccurate  who  wrote: 

Going  into  the  basement,  they  found  the 
cocaine  stored  beneath  a  heap  of  rags. 

He  was  not  accurate,  unless  he  meant  that  they  found  the 
cocaine  while  on  the  way  to  the  basement.  The  cause  of  hi< 
inaccuracy  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  time  expressed  by  the 
participle  going  varies  from  that  of  the  main  verb.  Whal 
he  should  have  said  was, 


THE  SENTENCE 


103 


or  better, 


Having  gone  into  the  basement,  .  .  . 

After  going  into  the  basement,  they  found 
the  cocaine  stored  beneath  a  heap  of  rags. 


152.  Dangling  Participles.  —  Another  detail  for  careful 
attention  in  the  use  of  the  participle  is  the  necessity  of  hav- 
ing a  definite  noun  or  pronoun  in  the  sentence  for  the  parti- 
ciple to  modify.     It  is  wrong  to  write, 

Having  arrived  at  the  county  jail,  the  door  I 
was  forced  open, 

because  the  sentence  seems  to  say  that  the  door  did  the  ar- 
riving. The  sentence  should  be  written, 

I  Having  arrived  at  the  county  jail,  the  mob 
forced  open  the  door. 

153.  Agreement    of    Verbs.  —  One    should    watch    one's 
verbs  carefully,  too,  to  see  that  they  agree  in  number  with 
their  subjects.     One  is  sometimes  tempted  to  make  the  verb 
agree  with  the  predicate,  as  in  the  following: 

The  weakest  section  of  the  course  are  the 
ninth,  tenth,  and  eleventh  holes. 

But  English  usage  requires  agreement  of  the  verb  with  the 
subject.  If  the  subject  is  a  collective  noun,  one  may  regard 
it  as  either  singular  or  plural.  But  when  the  writer  has  made 
his  choice,  he  must  maintain  a  consistent  point  of  view.  One 
may  say, 

The  mob  were  now  gathering  in  the  north- 
east corner  of  the  yard  and  yelling  themselves 
hoarse, 


or 


The  mob  was  now  gathering  in  the  north- 
east corner  of  the  yard  and  yelling  itself  hoarse. 


But  the  two  points  of  view  may  not  be  mixed  in  the  same 
sentence  or  the  same  paragraph.  That  the  following  sen- 
tence is  wrong  should  be  evident  at  a  glance: 


104 


THE  NEWS  STORY 


The  Kellog-Haines  Singing  Party  has  been  on 
the  lyceum  and  chautauqua  platform  for  eight 
years  and  have  toured  together  the  entire 
United  States. 


Confusion  is  often  caused  also  by  qualifying  phrases  inter- 
vening between  subjects  and  their  verbs.     Thus:  t 


The  number  of  the  strikers  and  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  employment  associations  do  not  agree 
with  the  report  made  by  the  commission. 


And  sometimes  one  finds  a  plural  verb  wrongly  used  after  the 
correlative  terms  either  .  .  .  or  and  neither  .  .  .  nor,  as  in 
the  following: 

I     Neither  the  mother  of  the  children  nor  the 
aunt  were  held  responsible  for  the  accident. 

Finally,  one  often  finds  reporters  consistently  using  a  singular 
verb  after  the  expletive  there.  In  fifty  per  cent  of  the  cases 
the  writers  are  wrong.  Thus: 


The  briefest  glance  at  the  yard  and  premises 
would  have  shown  that  there  was  more  than 
one  in  the  conspiracy. 


Here  was  should  be  were. 

154.  Coordination  and  Subordination.  -  -  The  third  error 
in  grammatical  construction,  failure  to  coordinate  or  sub- 
ordinate sentences  and  parts  of  sentences  properly,  cannot 
be  treated  with  so  much  sureness  as  the  two  preceding  faults; 
yet  certain  definite  instruction  may  be  given,  And,  but,  for, 
or,  and  nor  are  called  coordinating  conjunctions;  that  is, 
they  are  used  to  connect  words,  phrases,  and  clauses  of  equal 
rank.  If  one  uses  and  to  connect  a  noun  with  a  verb,  or  a 
past  participle  with  a  present  participle,  or  a  verb  in  the  in- 
dicative mood  with  one  in  the  subjunctive,  he  perverts  the 
conjunction  and  produces  a  consequent  effect  of  awkwardness 
or  lack  of  clearness  in  the  sentence.  Look  at  the  following: 


THE  SENTENCE 


105 


The  sister  residing  in  Albany,  and  who  is 
said  to  have  struck  one  of  the  visiting  sisters, 
followed  them  into  the  sick  room. 

In  this  sentence  and  is  used  to  connect  the  participle  residing 
with  the  pronoun  who,  and  the  consequent  awkwardness 
results.  This  is  the  much  condemned  and  who  construction. 
Likewise,  in  the  next  sentence: 

Five  hundred  persons  saw  two  boys  washed 
from  the  end  of  Winter's  pier  and  drowning  in 
twenty  feet  of  water  at  noon  to-day. 

And  is  here  used  to  connect  the  past  participle  washed  with 
the  present  participle  drowning,  and  the  sentence  is  thereby 
rendered  clumsy. 

155.  Clauses  Unequal  in  Thought.  —  An  equally  great 
inaccuracy  is  the  attempt  to  connect  with  a  coordinate  con- 
junction clauses  equivalent  in  grammatical  construction, 
but  unequal  in  thought  value.  Other  things  being  equal,  the 
ideas  of  greatest  value  should  be  put  into  independent 
clauses,  the  ideas  of  least  value  into  dependent  clauses  or 
phrases.  Other  things  being  equal,  be  it  understood,  for  by  a 
too  strict  observance  of  this  rule  one  may  easily  make  the 
sentence  ludicrous.  Take  the  following  as  an  illustration: 

We  were  to  raid  the  hall  precisely  at  midnight, 
and  we  set  our  watches  to  the  second. 

Here  the  thought-value  of  the  two  clauses  is  not  equal,  no 
matter  how  the  writer  may  attempt  to  make  it  seem  so  by 
expressing  the  ideas  in  clauses  grammatically  equal.  The 
second  clause  contains  the  main  idea;  so  the  first  should  be 
subservient.  Thus: 

As  we  were  to  raid  the  hall  precisely  at  mid- 
night, we  set  our  watches  to  the  second. 

In  the  corrected  form  the  sentence  is  given  greater  force  by 
having  the  reader's  attention  directed  specifically  to  the 
thought  of  prime  importance,  the  setting  of  the  watches. 


io6 


THE  NEWS  STORY 


And  so  with  the  following  sentences.  Note  that  the  seconc 
in  each  case  is  made  more  forceful  by  centering  the  atten- 
tion on  what  is  most  important  in  thought. 

The  saloons  were  not  allowed  after  January 
i  to  keep  open  on  Sunday,  and  half  of  them  gave 
up  their  licenses. 

As  the  saloons  were  not  allowed  after  Jan- 
uary i  to  keep  open  on  Sunday,  half  of  them 
gave  up  their  licenses. 


He  fell  from  the  sixth  story  and  was  able  to 
walk  away  without  assistance. 

Though  he  fell  from  the  sixth  story,  he  was 
able  to  walk  away  without  assistance. 

156.  Ellipsis.  —  Ellipsis  is  the  omission  of  a  word  or 
phrase  necessary  to  the  meaning  of  a  sentence.  An  ellipsis 
is  poor  when  the  words  omitted  cannot  readily  be  understood 
from  the  context.  Pope's  line, 

To  err  is  human;  to  forgive,  divine. 

is  an  illustration  of  good  ellipsis  because  the  word  is  can 
readily  be  substituted  from  the  context.  The  following 
ellipses,  however,  are  not  good: 

Louis  Flanagan  is  helping  his  brother  Silas 
cut  wood  and  numerous  other  things. 

He  shadowed  Laux  longer  than  O'Rourke. 

Standing  on  each  side  of  the  door,  a  fat  and 
tall  man  looked  suspiciously  at  them. 

Ellipsis  is  often  desirable  for  the  sake  of  brevity,  but  one 
must  be  sure  never  to  omit  a  word  or  phrase  unless  pre- 
cisely that  word  or  phrase  may  be  readily  supplied  from  the 
context. 

-157.   Clearness  in  the  Sentence.  —  After  correct  grammar, 
the  next  points  to  seek  in  writing  the  sentence  are  clearness 


THE  SENTENCE  107 

and  force,  which  together  give  a  sentence  its  interest.  Of 
the  two,  clearness  is  the  more  important.  A  reporter  should 
never  write  a  sentence  that  must  be  read  twice  to  be  under- 
stood. As  has  been  said  once  or  twice  already,  but  may  be 
repeated  for  emphasis,  news  stories  to-day  are  read  rapidly, 
and  rapid  reading  is  possible  only  when  sentences  yield  their 
ideas  with  small  effort  on  the  part  of  the  reader.  Consider 
the  following: 

The  Assembly  on  Thursday  refused  to  pass 
the  Grell  Bill,  permitting  the  sale  of  intoxicat- 
ing liquors,  after  the  close  of  the  polls  on  election 
days,  over  the  governor's  veto. 

This  sentence  is  clear  if  one  will  stop  to  read  it  twice;  but 
there  is  the  trouble:  one  must  read  it  twice  —  a  task  few 
will  perform. 

158.  Grammatically  Connected   Phrases.  -  -  The  lack  of 
entire  clearness  in  the  sentence  just  quoted  is  due  to  a  dif- 
ficulty over  which  the  best  writers  often  stumble,  —  failure 
to  keep  grammatically  connected  words,  phrases,  and  clauses 
as  close  together  as  possible.     In  the  sentence  quoted,  for 
instance,  if  the  phrase  over  the  governor's  veto  were  placed 
immediately  after  pass,  the  whole  sentence  would  be  clear 
at  once  to  the  reader.     The  same  fault  exists  in  the  following: 

The  witness  said  she  had  a  furnished  bed- 
room for  a  gentleman  22  feet  long  by  n  feet 
wide. 

159.  Correlative    Conjunctions.  -  -  The    correlative    con- 
junctions, either  .  .  .  or,  neither  .  .  .  nor,  whether  .  .  .  or, 
and  not  only  .  .  .  but  also,  are  also  particularly  liable  to  trip 
a  writer.     Each  should  come  immediately  before  the  word 
or  phrase  it  modifies.     For  example: 

Either  the  prisoner  will  be  hanged  or  sen- 1 
tenced  to  life  imprisonment. 


io8 


THE  NEWS  STORY 


This  sentence  obviously  is  wrong.    Either  here  should  come 
immediately  before  hanged,  making  the  sentence  read: 

The  prisoner  will  be  either  hanged  or  sen- 
tenced to  life  imprisonment. 

160.  "Only"  and  "Alone."—  Only  and  alone  belong  in 
the  same  class  of  modifiers  that  demand  close  watching. 
Only  comes  immediately  before  the  word  or  phrase  it  modi- 
fies, alone  immediately  after.  One  should  avoid  using  only 
when  alone  may  be  used  instead,  and  should  not  place  either 
of  the  two  words  between  emphatic  words  or  phrases.  The 
following  illustrates  an  inaccurate  placing  of  only: 


The  evidence  seemed  to  show  that  a  man 
could v  only  obtain  advancement  in  the  Hall  by 
submitting  wholly  to  the  dictates  of  the  leaders. 


Only  here  should  come  immediately  before  the  phrase 
by  submitting. 

161.  Parenthetic  Expressions.  —  The  use  of  long  paren- 
thetic expressions  within  a  sentence  is  also  a  frequent  cause 
of  lack  of  clearness.  In  general,  sentences  within  paren- 
theses should  be  avoided  in  news  articles.  Two  short  terse 
sentences  are  clearer  —  hence  far  more  effective  —  than  one 
long  one  containing  a  doubtfully  clear  parenthetic  phrase 
or  clause.  The  prime  fault  with  the  following  sentence,  for 
instance,  is  the  inclusion  of  the  two  parenthetic  clauses, 
necessitating  a  close  reading  to  get  the  meaning: 


Even  if  the  allies  shall  be  able  to  force  the 
Dardanelles,  and  present  indications  are  that 
they  will,  the  wheat  crop  in  Russia  will  not  be 
up  to  the  average  from  that  country  on  account 
of  the  withdrawal  of  so  many  millions  of  men 
for  purely  military  purposes,  either  in  the  fields 
of  battle  or  in  the  factories  getting  munitions 
of  war  ready. 


Put  into  two  sentences,  the  illustration  becomes: 


THE  SENTENCE 


109 


Even  if  the  allies  shall  be  able  to  fulfil  their 
present  expectations  of  forcing  the  Dardanelles, 
the  Russian  wheat  will  not  be  up  to  the  average. 
Too  many  millions  of  men  have  been  withdrawn 
from  the  field  to  the  trenches  and  the  munition 
factories  to  enable  the  country  to  produce  a  full 
crop. 

162.  Shifted  Subject.  —  A  shifted  subject  within  a  sen- 
tence is  also  usually  a  hindrance  to  clearness.    Indeed,  one 
can  aid  clearness  in  successive  sentences  by  retaining  as  far 
as  possible  the  same  subject.     Certainly  one  should  not 
shift   subjects  within   the   sentence  without   good   reason. 
The  two  following  sentences  exhibit  the  weakness  of  the 
shifted  subject: 

The  British  ambassador  to  Norway  has  of- 
fered $25,000  reward  for  his  capture,  and  he 
bears  a  special  passport  from  the  Kaiser. 

Witter  was  standing  near  the  curb,  but  the 
death-car  passed  without  his  seeing  it. 

Improved,  these  sentences  become: 

The  British  ambassador  to  Norway  has  of- 
fered $25,000  reward  for  the  capture  of  Benson, 
who  bears  a  special  passport  from  the  Kaiser. 

Witter  was  standing  near  the  curb,  but  failed 
to  see  the  death-car  pass. 

163.  Coherence.  —  Clearness  frequently  is  destroyed  or 
greatly  lessened  through  lack  of  proper  coherence.     Writers 
often  forget  that  every  sentence  has  a  double  purpose:    to 
convey  a  meaning  itself  and  to  make  clearer  the  meaning 
of  preceding  and  succeeding  sentences.     The  reporter  should 
watch  closely  to  see  not  only  that  the  phrases  of  his  sentences 
follow  each  other  in  natural  sequence,  but  also  that  the  re- 
lation of  those  phrases  to  adjacent  ones  in  the  same  or  other 
sentences  is  clearly  shown.     Here  is  a  notice  made  ludicrous 
because  the  reporter  used  a  connective  indicating  a  wrong 
relation  between  two  clauses: 


no 


THE  NEWS  STORY 


Mrs.  Alpheus  White  is  on  the  sick  list  this 
week.  Dr.  Anderson  has  been  with  her,  but 
we  hope  she  may  soon  recover. 

The  connective  that  the  writer  should  have  used,  of  course, 
was  and,  or  else  none  at  all.  Substitute  the  and  or  merely 
omit  the  but  and  the  coherence  is  perfect. 

164.  Coherence  and  Unity.  —  Many  sentences  that  ap- 
pear to  lack  unity  are  really  wanting  in  proper  coherence. 
For  instance, 

Dr.  Alvers  was  called  as  soon  as  the  accident 
was  discovered,  and  it  is  feared  now  she  will  not 
recover, 

is  a  sentence  lacking  in  unity,  but  one  that  may  be  unified 
properly  if  the  coherence  is  made  good.  Thus : 

Dr.  Alvers  was  called  as  soon  as  the  accident 
was  discovered,  and  though  he  gave  all  the  aid 
that  medical  science  could  render,  it  is  feared 
now  she  will  not  recover. 

165.  Sentence  Emphasis.  —  Sentence  emphasis  is  gained 
in  five  ways:    by  form,  position,  proportion,  repetition,  and 
delicacy  of  expression.     Sentence  form  —  putting  into  an 
independent  clause  what  is  most  important  —  has  already 
been  discussed  under  clearness.     The  use  of  position  for 
emphasis  is  the  placing  at  the  beginning  or  end  of  the  sen- 
tence the  ideas  that  are  most  important  and  the  enclosure 
within  of  the  less  important  thoughts.    The  following  sen- 
tence illustrates  a  writer's  failure  to  avail  himself  of  position 
for  emphasis: 

I  This  afternoon  reports  that  she  was  still 
missing  from  home  were  being  circulated. 

But  this  afternoon  and  circulated  are  not  the  important  con- 
cepts. Reports  and  still  missing  from  home  are  the  emphatic 
ideas  and  should  be  put  first  and  last  respectively.  Thus: 

Reports  were  being  circulated  this  afternoon  I 
that  she  was  still  missing  from  home. 


THE  SENTENCE 


in 


So  with  the  following: 

This  morning  fifty  convicts  of  the  Kansas 
State  penitentiary  were  placed  in  solitary  con- 
finement, accused  of  being  leaders  in  a  mutiny 
yesterday  in  the  coal  mines  operated  by  the 
penitentiary. 

This  morning  and  mines  operated  by  the  penitentiary  are  not, 
however,  .the  important  ideas.  A  better  arrangement  of 
the  sentence  reads: 

Accused  of  being  leaders  in  a  mutiny  yester- 
day in  the  penitentiary  coal  mines,  fifty  con- 
victs of  the  Kansas  State  penitentiary  were 
placed  this  morning  in  solitary  confinement. 

Similarly,  a  phrase  or  clause  transferred  from  its  normal 
position  in  the  sentence  will  attract  attention  to  itself.  Note 
the  increased  emphasis  upon  the  matter  was  purely  political 
in  the  following  sentence  by  transference  of  it  from  its  normal 
position  at  the  end: 

Simpson,  who  was  in  the  uniform  of  a  lieu- 
tenant when  arrested  at  New  Orleans,  said  the 
matter  was  purely  political. 

That  the  matter  was  purely  political  was  the 
statement  made  by  Simpson,  who  was  in  the 
uniform  of  a  lieutenant  when  arrested  at  New 
Orleans. 

166.  Proportion  for  Emphasis.  -  -  The  emphasis  of  a 
sentence  in  a  news  story  varies  in  inverse  proportion  to  its 
length.  Emphasis  is  gained  by  brevity.  A  prolix  style 
tires  the  reader;  and  newspaper  space  is  valuable.  The 
reporter,  therefore,  must  make  his  sentences  short  and 
pointed.  He  must  condense,  must  reduce  predication  to 
a  minimum.  As  few  verbs  as  possible  and  all  verbs  active  ; 
is  a  slogan  in  the  news  room.  It  is  an  error  from  a  news- 
paper standpoint  to  include  in  a  sentence  any  word  that 
may  be  omitted  without  altering  or  obscuring  the  sense. 


112 


THE  NEWS  STORY 


One  of  the  first  requisites  for  success  in  journalism  is  ability 
to  present  facts  with  a  minimum  of  words.  Note  the  added 
emphasis  given  the  following  sentences  by  mere  reduction 
in  the  number  of  words: 

It  is  well  to  understand  that  a  high  tempera- 
ture of  heat,  boiling  or  more,  destroys  the  germs 
of  disease. 

It  is  well  understood  that  a  high  temperature, 
boiling  or  more,  destroys  germs. 


A  pioneer  living  west  of  Solon  blew  his  head 
off  to-day  with  a  shotgun.  Death  followed  the 
deed  instantly. 

A  pioneer  living  west  of  Solon  killed  himself 
instantly  to-day  by  blowing  his  head  off  with  a 
shotgun. 


Miss  Helen  Goodrich,  who  is  an  aviatrix  of 
note,  was  arrested  in  Bremen  this  morning 
charged  with  kidnapping. 

Miss  Helen  Goodrich,  an  aviatrix  of  note,  was 
arrested  in  Bremen  this  morning  charged  with 
kidnapping. 

Note  that  in  the  last  illustration,  in  particular,  the  conden- 
sation consists  in  reducing  predication,  in  merely  removing 
a  verb  and  a  pronoun  from  the  sentence. 

167.  Repetition.  —  The  worth  of  repetition  as  a  means 
of  obtaining  coherence  has  been  discussed  in  a  preceding 
chapter.  Its  value  as  an  effective  means  of  gaining  em- 
phasis is  also  noteworthy.  Consider  the  effect  of  the  repe- 
tition of  the  word  blithe  in  the  following  sentences: 

A  blithe  young  man  met  a  blithe  young 
woman  at  State  and  Adams  Streets  Friday. 
Michael  Hurley,  a  blithe  plain-clothes  police- 
man, met  them  both. 

Great  care  must  be  exercised,  however,  in  repeating  a  word 
for  emphasis.  The  usage  may  easily  be  a  handicap  rather 


THE  SENTENCE 

than  a  help.  More  often  than  not,  repetition  of  the  same 
word  or  phrase  is  the  result  of  laziness  or  paucity  of  vocabu- 
lary, and  destroys  the  force  of  the  sentence.  An  instance 
of  too  frequent  use  of  the  same  word  —  the  adjective 
beautiful  —  appears  in  the  following: 

The  bride  was  elaborately  gowned  in  a  beauti- 
ful sky-blue  messaline  dress,  with  silk  over  lace, 
and  carried  a  beautiful  bouquet  of  gladiolis,  be- 
sides having  a  beautiful  bouquet  of  flowers  at  the 
waist.  The  groom  wore  the  usual  blue  worsted 
suit,  with  a  beautiful  buttonhole  bouquet, 
while  the  bridesmaid  was  beautifully  gowned 
in  a  white  French  serge  trimmed  with  a  light 
blue  silk  girdle  and  a  blue  silk  tango  cord  at  the 
throat,  and  also  had  a  beautiful  bouquet  at  the 
waist.  The  best  man  wore  a  rich  dark  gray  suit 
and  also  had  a  beautiful  buttonhole  bouquet. 
The  room  was  beautifully  decorated  with  green 
foliage  and  roses,  formed  into  a  beautiful  arch, 
under  which  the  couple  stood  during  the  cere- 
mony, which  was  performed  by  Rev.  Wells  of 
this  city. 

168.  Delicacy  of  Expression.  —  Delicacy  of  expression 
is  that  quality  in  news  writing  which  distinguishes  the  star 
reporter  from  the  cub.  It  may  be  learned,  but  never  taught. 
It  is  this  elusive  element  in  writing  and  the  inability  of  in- 
structors to  impart  it  that  make  many  journalists  say  news 
writing  cannot  be  taught.  Delicacy  of  expression  is  not 
effeminacy.  It  is  originality;  it  is  cleverness;  it  is  nimble- 
ness  of  wit  and  beauty  of  phrase;  it  is  grace;  it  is  simplicity; 
it  is  restraint;  it  is  tact.  It  is  all  these,  and  more.  It  is 
that  intuition  in  a  star  man  which  forbids  his  beginning  the 
same  kind  of  story  day  after  day  with  a  fixed,  hackneyed 
type  of  sentence,  which  makes  him  avoid  triteness  of  ex- 
pression. It  is  that  something  in  him  which  compels  him 
to  avoid  affectation,  to  love  beauty  and  grace,  born  of  sim- 
plicity, unadornedness.  It  is  that  inborn  sense  of  good  taste 
that  restrains  the  writer  from  indelicate,  personal  allusions 


THE  NEWS  STORY 


so  offensive  to  men  and  women  of  refinement.  All  this  anc 
more  is  delicacy  of  expression,  and  blest  is  the  journalist 
who  has  it.  The  reporter  who  wrote  the  following  had  not 
yet  learned  the  art: 

THE  HAVENS-MERRILL  WEDDING 

At  7:30  the  sounds  of  the  wedding  march 
scintillated  through  the  Havens  house  like  tired 
waves  laving  the  shores  of  a  mighty  lake. 
Seldom  if  ever  has  such  a  scene  been  witnessed 
in  this  place.  The  smell  of  spring  flowers  was 
everywhere  coming  to  all  nostrils.  Presently 
there  was  a  slight  disturbance  at  the  right  hand 
entrance,  and  then  the  bride  entered  on  the  arm 
of  her  father,  William  Havens,  the  well-known 
merchant.  Simultaneous  at  the  opposite  door 
was  another  disturbance,  and  the  bridegroom 
entered  attended  by  Henry  Merrill  of  Des 
Moines.  Then  the  two  parties  proceeded  down 
the  middle  aisles,  meeting  under  a  beautiful 
marriage  bell  where  the  two  hearts  were  beauti- 
fully made  as  one,  which  was  followed  by  con- 
gratulations all  along  the  aisles. 

MR.  CRAIG  WEDS  MISS  SCHELL 

Mr.  Joe  Craig  and  Miss  Cora  Schell,  both  of 
Mena,  were  quietly  married  at  the  Hotel  Main, 
Durant,  Okla.,  Monday,  and  are  boarding  at 
this  hotel.  Mr.  Craig  is  well  known  as  a  skilful 
bricklayer,  honest  and  industrious.  The  bride 
is  well  known  in  this  city  and  proved  her  worth 
by  the  years  she  served  the  Lochridge  Dry  Goods 
Company  as  cashier.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Woodmen  Circle  and  carries  a  large  insurance. 
We  regret  that  she  must  leave,  but  like  Rebekah 
of  old,  she  leaves  home,  family,  and  friends  to 
travel  the  journey  of  life  with  her  "Isaac"  (Joe) 
in  a  distant  land.  We  feel  that  the  expression 
of  all  her  friends  is  that  the  best  this  world  af- 
fords will  be  theirs  to  the  end  of  their  journey 
and  that  a  new  life  awaits  them  in  another  and 
higher  sphere. 

169.  Essentials  of  the  Sentence.  —  If  a  reporter  can  write 
grammatically   correct    sentences,  —  if   he    can    coordinate 


THE   SENTENCE  115 

and  subordinate  accurately  the  different  parts;  if  he  can 
give  all  the  pronouns  definite  antecedents;  if  he  can  keep 
his  verbs  consistent,  having  them  agree  in  person  and  num- 
ber with  their  subjects;  if  he  can  make  effective  use  of  ellipsis, 
-  his  sentences  will  possess  the  first  essentials  of  a  good  sen- 
tence, —  accuracy.  If  he  can  make  his  sentences  clear  and 
forceful,  —  if  he  can  keep  grammatically  connected  words, 
phrases,  and  clauses  close  together;  if  he  can  eliminate 
lengthy  parenthetic  expressions;  if  he  can  avoid  unnecessary 
shifts  of  subjects  within  sentences;  if  he  can  make  readily 
clear  the  relation  of  every  phrase  in  a  sentence  to  every  other 
phrase  in  it  and  adjoining  sentences;  if  he  can  put  important 
ideas  at  the  beginning  and  the  end  of  the  sentence;  if  he  can 
make  his  sentences  short  and  concise;  if  he  can  acquire 
delicacy  of  expression,  —  his  sentences  will  possess  the  second 
requisite  of  a  good  sentence,  —  interest.  Accuracy  and 
interest,  these  are  the  elements  that  make  a  sentence  good. 
And  the  greater  of  these  is  accuracy. 


XIII.     WORDS 

170.  Accuracy  and  Interest.  —  For  words,  as  for  sentences 
and  stories,  the  same  law  holds,  —  accuracy  and  interest. 
If  one's  words  are  accurate  and  stimulate  interest  in  the 
reader,  they  are  good. 

171.  Accuracy.  —  Accuracy  comes  first.    It  is  necessary 
always  to  write  with  a  nice  regard  for  exact  shades  of  mean- 
ing.   As  Flaubert  declared,  "Whatever  one  wishes  to  say, 
there  is  only  one  noun  to  express  it,  only  one  verb  to  give  it 
life,  only  one  adjective  to  qualify  it.     Search  then  till  that 
noun,  that  verb,  that  adjective  is  discovered.     Never  be 
content  with  very  nearly;    never  have  recourse  to  tricks, 
however  happy,  or  to  buffoonery  of  language  to  avoid  a 
difficulty.     This  is  the  way  to  become  original."    An  ac- 
curate writer  avoids  looseness  of  thinking  and  inexactness 
of  expression  as  he  avoids  libel.     The  adjective  lurid  is  an 
illustration  of  a  word  over  which  careless  reporters  have 
stumbled  for  generations.     When  the  casualties  of  the  war 
against  inaccuracy  are  recorded,  lurid  will  be  among  "the 
missing.     As  used  by  ignorant  scribblers,  the  word  means 
something  like  bright  or  brilliant,  or  perhaps  towering;   yet 
its  precise  meaning  is  pale  yellow,  wan,  ghastly.     Journalists 
of  the  last  quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century  will  remember 
a  long  list  of  such  sins  against  precision,  recorded  by  Charles 
A.  Dana,  editor  of  the  New    York  Sun.    A  few  additions 
have  been  made  to  his  list,  and  the  whole  is  given  below.    The 
reader  should  distinguish  keenly  between  each  pair  of  words 
and  should  be  careful  never  to  misuse  one  of  them.    Do  not 
use: 


above  or  over 

administered 

affect 

aggravate 

allude 

and 

audience 

avocation 

awfully 

balance 

banquet 

beside 

call  attention 

can 

claim 

conscious 

couple 

date  back  to 

deceased 

dock 

dove 

emigrate 

endorse 

exposition 

farther 

favor 

groom 

happen 

hung 

infinite 

in  our  midst 

in  spite  of 


for  more  than 

for  dealt 

for  effect 

for  irritate 

for  refer 

for  to 

for  spectators 

for  vocation 

for  very  or  ex- 
ceedingly 

for  remainder 

for  dinner 

for  besides 

for  direct  at- 
tention 

for  may 

for  assert 

for  aware 

for  two 

for  date  from 

for  died 

for  pier  or  wharf 

for  dived 

for  immigrate 

for  approve 

for  exhibition 

for  further 

for  resemble 

for  bridegroom 

for  occur 

for  hanged 

for  great,  vast 

for  among  us 

for  despite 


WORDS 

117 

an        last 

for 

latest 

less 

for 

fewer 

like 

for 

as  if 

materially 

for 

largely 

notice 

for 

observe 

murderous 

for 

dangerous 

•s          onto 

for 

on  or  upon 

partially 

for 

partly 

ex-      pants 

for 

trousers 

past  two  years 

for 

last  two 

>r                                      years 

perform 

for 

play 

posted 

for 

informed 

practically 

for 

virtually 

prior  to 

for 

before 

propose 

for 

purpose 

proven 

for 

proved 

raise 

for 

rear 

quite 

for 

very 

n         section 

for 

region 

spend 

for 

pass 

larf      standpoint 

for 

point  of  view 

suicide 

as 

a  verb 

te         suspicion 

for 

suspect 

sustain 

for 

receive 

n         transpire 

for 

occur 

universal 

for 

general 

vest 

for 

waistcoat 

3m       vicinity 

for 

neighbor- 

hood 

viewpoint 

for 

point  of 

,st                                     view 

LS         witness 

for 

see 

would  seem 

for 

seems 

172.  Clearness.  —  To  secure  interest,  a  word  must  be 
clear  and  forceful.  It  should  not  be  technical  or  big,  but 
simple.  The  biggest  words  in  the  average  newspapers  are  the 


n8 


THE  NEWS  STORY 


handiwork  and  pride  of  the  cub  reporters.  Yet  clearness, 
force,  brevity  all  demand  little  words,  —  simplicity.  And 
the  simplest  words  are  those  of  everyday  speech,  —  Anglo- 
Saxon  words  generally,  —  such  as  home  rather  tkan  residence, 
begin  rather  than  commence,  coffin  rather  than  casket.  The 
reporter  who  uses  ornate,  technical,  or  little-known  words 
does  so  at  his  own  peril  and  to  the  injury  of  his  story;  for 
the  average  newspaper  reader,  without  the  benefits  of  a  col- 
lege education  and  having  a  limited  vocabulary  of  one 
to  two  thousand  words,  does  not  know  and  has  no  time 
to  look  up  the  meaning  of  unfamiliar  words  and  phrases. 
This  is  why  many  city  editors  prefer  to  employ  high-school 
students  and  break  them  in  as  cubs  rather  than  take  college 
graduates  who,  proud  of  their  education  and  vocabularies, 
attempt  to  display  their  learning  in  every  story  they  write. 
Simple,  familiar,  everyday  words,  those  that  every  reader 
knows,  are  always  the  most  forceful  and  clear,  and  hence 
the  most  fitting.  The  following  is  a  list  of '  words  which 
young  writers  are  most  commonly  tempted  to  use: 


accord 

for  give 

hymeneal  altar 

for  chancel 

aggregate 

for  total 

inaugurate 

for  begin 

appertains 

for  pertains 

individual 

for  person 

apprehend 

for  arrest 

obsequies 

for  funeral 

calculate 

for  think,   ex- 

participate 

for  take  part 

pect 

per  diem 

for  a  day 

canine 

for  dog 

perform 

for  play 

casket 

for  coffin 

purchase 

for  buy 

commence 

for  begin 

recuperate 

for  recover 

conflagration 

for  fire 

remains 

for  body,  corpse 

construction 

for  building 

render 

for  sing 

contribute 

for  give 

reside 

for  live 

cortege 

for  procession 

retire 

for  go  to  bed 

destroyed  by 

rodent 

for  rat 

fire 

for  burned 

subsequently 

for  later 

donate 

for  give 

tonsorial  artist 

for  barber 

elicit 

for  draw 

via 

for  by  way  of 

WORDS  119 

173.  Force.  —  Force  demands  that  one's  words  be  em- 
phatic.    Unfortunately  a  reporter  cannot  have  readers  al- 
ways eager  to  read  what  he  writes.    If  he  had,  his  readers 
would  be  satisfied  with  having  his  words  merely  accurate 
and  clear.    Instead,  they  demand  that  their  attention  be 
attracted,  compelled.    The  words  must  be  fitting,  apt,  fresh, 
unhackneyed,'  specific  rather  than  general.    The  spectators 
gathered  in  the  field  must  not  be  a  vast  concourse,  but  ten 
thousand  persons.    Nor  must  it  be  about  ten  thousand.    The 
about  should  be  omitted.     A  specific  ten  thousand  persons 
present  is  much  more  effective  and,  being  a  round  number, 
is  a  sufficient  indication  that  no  actual  count  has  been  made. 
In  all  cases  where  there  is  a  choice  between  a  specific  and  a 
general  term,  the  specific  one  should  be  used. 

174.  Trite  Phrases.  —  Interest  requires  one  also  to  seek 
originality  of  expression,  to  avoid  trite  phrases  and  hack- 
neyed words.    Embalmed  meats  and  kyanized   sentences 
are  never  good.    Yet  one  of  the  most  difficult  acquirements 
in  reporting  is  the  ability  to  find  day  after  day  a  new  way 
to  tell  of  some  obscure  person  dying  of  pneumonia  or  heart 
disease.     Only  reporters  who  have  fought  and  overcome 
the  arctic  drowsiness  of  trite  phraseology  know  the  difficulty 
of  fighting  on  day  after  day,  seeking  a  new,  a  different  way 
to  tell  the  same  old  story  of  suicide  or"  marriage  or  theft  or 
drowning.    Yet  one  is  no  longer  permitted  to  say  that  the 
bridegroom  wore  the  conventional  black,  or  the  bride  was 
elegantly  gowned,  or  the  bride's  mother  presided  at  the  punch 
bowl,  or  the  assembled  guests  tripped  the  light  fantastic. 
The  reporter  must  find  new  words  for  everything  and  must 
tell  all  with  the  same  zest  and  the  same  sparkling  freshness 
of  expression  with  which  he  wrote  on  his  first  day  in  the  news 
office. 

175.  Figures  of  Speech.  —  In  his  search  for  freshness, 
variety  of  expression,  the  reporter  often  may  avail  himself 
of  figures  of  speech.    These  add  suggestiveness  to  writing 


120  THE  NEWS  STORY 

and  increase  its  meaning  by  interpretation  in  a  figurative 
rather  than  a  literal  sense.  To  say,  "Oldfield  flew  round 
the  bowl  like  a  ruined  soul  on  the  rim  of  Hades/'  is  more 
effective  than  "  Oldfield  ran  his  car  round  the  course  at  a 
no-mile  rate  of  speed."  But  the  writer  must  be  careful  not 
to  mix  his  figures,  or  he  may  easily  make  himself  ridiculous. 
An  apt  illustration  of  such  mixing  of  figures  is  the  following: 


It  seemed  as  if  the  governor  were  hurling  his 
glove  into  the  teeth  of  the  advancing  wave  that 
was  sounding  the  clarion  call  of  equal  suffrage. 


In  particular,  one  must  not  personify  names  of  ships,  cities, 
states,  and  countries.  Note,  for  example,  the  incongruity 
in  the  following: 

Especially  does  the  man  of  discriminating 
taste  appreciate  her  when  he  compares  her  with 
the  ordinary  tubs  sailing  the  Great  Lukes. 

176.  Elegance.  —  Force  also  requires  that  one  heed  what 
may  sometimes  seem  trivialities  of  good  usage.     For  in- 
stance, a  minister  may  not  be  referred  to  as  Rev.  Anderson, 
but  as  the  Rev.  Mr.  Anderson.     Coinage  of  titles,  too,  is  not 
permitted:   as  Railway  Inspector  Brown  for  John  Brown,  a 
railway  inspector.    And  the  overused  "editorial  we"  has 
now  passed  entirely  from  the  news  article.    In  an  unsigned 
story,  even  the  pronoun  I  should  not  be  used,  nor  such 
circumlocutions  as  the  writer,  the  reporter,  or  the  correspondent. 
In  a  signed  story,  however,  the  pronoun  I  is  used  somewhat 
freely,  while  such  stilted  phrases  as  the  scribe,  your  humble 
servant,  etc.,  are  absolutely  taboo. 

177.  Slang.  —  Finally,  mention  must  be  made  of  slang, 
the  uncouth  relative  in  every  respectable  household.     It  is 
used  freely  on  the  sporting  page,  but  is  barred  from  other 
columns,  its  debarment  being  due  to  its  lack  of  elegance  and 
clearness.     On  the  sporting  page  slang  has  been  accepted 
because  there  one  is  writing  to  a  narrow  circle  of  masculine 


WORDS  121 

Goths  who  understand  the  patois  of  the  gridiron,  the  dia- 
mond, and  the  padded  ropes  and  prefer  it  to  the  language  of 
civilization.  But  such  diction  is  always  limited  in  its  range 
of  acquaintances  and  followers.  A  current  bit  of  slang  in 
Memphis  may  be  unintelligible  in  Pittsburg.  A  colloquial 
ephemeralism  in  a  city  may  be  undecipherable  in  the  country 
districts  twenty-five  miles  away.  A  large  percentage  of  the 
athletic  jargon  of  the  sporting  club  and  field  is  enigmatical 
to  the  uninitiated.  And  since  a  newspaper  man  writes  for 
the  world  at  large  rather  than  for  any  specific  class  or  group, 
he  cannot  afford  to  take  chances  on  muddying  his  sentences 
by  the  use  of  slang.  The  best  test  of  a  good,  journalist  is 
the  instinct  for  writing  for  heterogeneous  masses  of  people. 
That  word  is  not  a  good  one  which  is  clear  only  to  select  read- 
ers, whether  select  in  ignorance  or  select  in  intelligence.  The 
news  story  permits  no  such  selection.  It  is  written,  not  for 
the  few,  not  for  the  many  as  distinct  from  the  few,  but  for 
all.  No  other  kind  of  reading  matter  is  so  cosmopolitan  in 
its  freedom  from  class  or  provincial  limitations  as  is  the  news 
story,  and  none  is  more  unwavering  in  its  elimination  of 
slang.  Newly  coined  words,  it  is  true,  are  admitted  more 
readily  into  news  stories  than  into  magazine  articles,  but 
slang  itself  is  barred.  One  may  not  write  of  the  "glad  rags" 
of  the  debutante,  or  the  "bagging"  of  the  criminal,  or  the 
"swiping"  of  the  messenger  boy's  "bike."  One  may  not 
even  employ  such  colloquialisms  as  "enthuse,"  "swell" 
(delightful),  "bunch"  (group).  But  one  may  use  such  new 
coinages  as  burglarize,  home-run,  and  diner  rather  freely. 
When  in  doubt  about  the  reputability  of  a  word,  however, 
one  should  consult  a  standard  dictionary,  which  should  be 
kept  continually  on  one's  desk. 


PART  III 
TYPES  OF   STORIES 


TYPES   OF   STORIES 

XIV.     INTERVIEWS,  SPEECHES,  COURTS 

178.  Four  Types  of  Stories.  -  -  To  the  casual  newspaper 
reader  the  various  patterns  of  stories  seem  all  but  limitless. 
To  the  experienced  newspaper  man,  however,  they  reduce 
themselves  to  seven  or  eight,  and  even  this  number  may  be 
further  limited.     The  popular  impression  comes  from  the 
fact  that  the  average  reader  places  an  automobile  collision 
and  a  fire  under  different  heads.     Yet  for  the  newspaper's 
purposes  both  may  be  classed  under  the  head  of  accidents. 
For  the  sake  of  convenience  in  this  study,  therefore,  we  may 
group  under  four  heads  all  the  news  stories  that  a  beginner 
need  be  acquainted  with  in  the  first  year  or  so  of  his  work: 
interviews,  accidents,  society,  and  sports,  to  which  may  be 
added  for  separate  treatment,  rewrites,  feature,  stories,  and 
correspondence  stories. 

179.  The  Interview  Type.  —  In  the  present  chapter  will 
be  discussed  the  interview   type  of  story,   in    which    are 
included  not  only  personal  interviews,  but  speeches,  sermons, 
toasts,  courts,  trials,  meetings,  conventions,  banquets,  of- 
ficial reports,  and  stories  about  current  magazine  articles 
and  books.    These  are  all  grouped  under  one  head  because 
they  derive  their  interest  to  the  public  from  the  fact  that 
in  them  men  and  women  present  their  opinions  concerning 
topics  of  current  interest,  and  that  for  newspaper  purposes 
the  method  of  handling  interviews  is  much  the  same  as  for 
the  other  ten. 


126 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


180.  Lead  to  an  Interview.  -  -  The  lead  to  a  news  story 
of  a  personal  interview  may  feature  any  one  of  the  following 
(i)  the  name  of  the  person  interviewed,  (2)  a  direct  state- 
ment from  him,  (3)  an  indirect  statement,  (4)  the  genera 
topic  of  the  interview,  (5)  the  occasion,  or  even  (6)  the  time 
Probably  it  is  the  name  of  the  man  or  a  direct  statement  that 
is  played  up  most  often.  If  th.e  former  is  featured,  the  leac 
should  begin  with  the  speaker's  name  and  should  locate 
the  conversation  in  time  and  place.  Such  a  lead  may  wel 
include  also  either  a  direct  or  an  indirect  statement,  or  a 
general  summary  of  the  interview.  Thus: 

Professor  George  Trumbull  Ladd  of  Yale,  in 
an  interview  for  The  Herald  to-day,  declared 
there  never  had  been  a  time  in  the  history  of  the 
world' when  there  was  a  greater  need  for  the  en- 
forcement of  international  law^  nor  one  when  in- 
ternational law  was  so  much  in  the  making  as  at 
present. 

If  a  significant  statement  is  of  most  importance  in  the  in- 
terview, the  lead  should  begin  with  the  statement,  directly 
or  indirectly  expressed,  and  continue  with  the  speaker's 
name,  the  time,  place,  and  occasion  of  the  interview.  Thus; 


"What  has  happened  in  Mexico  is  an  ap- 
palling international  crime,"  declared  Theodore 
Roosevelt  last  evening  at  his  home  on  Sagamore 
Hill,  Oyster  Bay,  L.I.  He  had  been  out  all  the 
afternoon  in  the  woods  chopping  wood,  and 
was  sitting  well  back  from  the  great  log  fire  in 
the  big  hall  filled  with  trophies  of  his  hunting 
trips,  as  he  talked  of  the  recent  massacre  of 
American  mining  men  in  Chihuahua. 

The  most  damnable  act  ever  passed  by 
Congress  or  conceived  by  a  congressman,  was 
the  way  in  which  William  J.  Conners  of  Buffalo 
to-day  characterized  the  La  Follette  seamen's 
law.  Mr.  Conners  is  in  New  York  on  business 
connected  with  the  Magnus  Beck  Brewing 
Company,  of  which  he  is  president. 


INTERVIEWS,  SPEECHES,   COURTS  127 

181.  Statements  of  Local  Interest.  —  Almost  always  it 
is  well,  if  possible,  to  lead  the  person  interviewed  to  an  ex- 
pression of  his  opinion  about  a  topic  of  local  interest,  then 
feature    that    statement,  —  particularly    if    the    statement 
agrees  with  a  declared  policy  of  the  paper.     Usually  a  prob- 
lem of  civic,  state,  or  national  interest  may  be  broached 
most  easily.     If  the  city  is  interested  in  commission  gov- 
ernment or  prohibition,  if  the  state  is  fighting  the  short 
ballot  or  the  income  tax  question,  the  visitor  may  be  asked 
for  his  opinion.     If  the  guest  happens  to  be  a  national  or 
international  personage  and  the  nation  is  solving  the  problem 
of  preparedness,  or  universal  military  service,  or  the  tariff 
question,  he  may  be  questioned  on  those  subjects  and  his 
opinions  featured  prominently  in  the  lead.     Note  the  fol- 
lowing lead  to  an  interview  published  by  a  paper  opposing 
the  policies  of  President  Wilson: 

Declaring  that  the  national  administration's 
foreign  policy  has  made  him  almost  ashamed  of 
being  an  American  citizen,  Henry  B.  Joy,  of 
Detroit,  Mich.,  president  of  the  Packard  Motor 
Company,  a  governor  of  the  Aero  Club  of 
America  and  vice  president  of  the  Navy  League, 
said  yesterday  that  our  heritage  of  national 
honor  from  the  days  of  Washington,  Lincoln, 
and  McKinley  is  slipping  through  our  fingers. 

182.  Inquiring  about  the  Feature.  —  Often   the  feature 
to  be  developed  in  an  interview  lead  may  be  had  by  asking 
the  one  interviewed  if  he  has  anything  he  would  like  brought 
out  or  developed.     When  the  interview  has  been  granted 
freely,  such  a  question  is  no  more  than  a  courtesy  due  the 
prominent   man.     But    only   under    extraordinary   circum- 
stances should  a  reporter  agree  to  submit  his  copy  for  criti- 
cism before  publication.     Many  a  good  story  has  had  all 
the  piquancy  taken  out  of  it  by  giving  the  one  interviewed 
an  opportunity  to  change  his  mind  or  to  see  in  cold  print 
just  what  he  said,  —  a  fact  .that  accounts  for  so  many  repu- 


. 
128  TYPES  OF   STORIES 

diated  interviews.  In  nine  cases  out  of  ten  the  newspaper 
man  has  reported  the  distinguished  visitor  exactly,  but  the 
write-up  looks  different  from  what  the  speaker  expected. 
Then  he  denies  the  whole  thing,  and  the  reporter  is  made 
the  scapegoat,  because  the  man  quoted  is  a  public  personage 
and  the  reporter  is  not. 

183.  Fairness  in  the  Interview.  -  -  The  first  aim  of  the 
interviewer,  however,  must  always  be  fairness,  accuracy, 
and  absence  of  personal  bias.     No  other  journalistic  tool 
can  be  so  greatly  abused  or  made  so  unfair  a  weapon  as  the 
interview.    One  should  make  no  attempt  to  color  a  man's 
opinions  as  expressed  in  an  interview,  no  matter  how  much 
one  may  disagree,  nor  should  one  " editorialize'7  on  those 
ideas.    If  the  paper  cares  to  discuss  their  truth  or  saneness, 
it  will  entrust  that  matter  to  the  editorial  writers.     This 
caution  does  not  mean  that  a  writer  may  not  break  into  the 
paragraphs  of  quotation  to  explain  the  speaker's  meaning 
or  to  elaborate  upon  a  possible  effect  of  his  position.     Such 
interruptions  are  regularly  made  and  are  entirely  legitimate, 
and  it  will  be  noted  in  the  Bryan  story  on  page  131  that 
most  of  that  article  consists  of  such  explanation  and  elabora- 
tion.    If,  however,   the  reporter  feels  that  the  utterances 
of  the  speaker  are  such  that  they  should  not  go  unchallenged, 
he  should  obtain  and  quote  a  reply  from  a  local  man  of 
prominence. 

184.  Coherence    and    Proportion.  —  Next    to    accuracy 
there  should  be  kept  in  view  the  intent  to  make  the  sequence 
and  proportion  of  the  ideas  logical,  no  matter  in  what  order 
or  at  what  length  they  may  have  been  given  by  the  one  in- 
terviewed.    Often  in  conversation  a  man  will  give  more 
time  to  an  idea  than  is  its  due,  and  often  the  most  important 
part  of  an  interview  will  not  be  introduced  until  the  last. 
Or,  again,  a  person  may  drift  away  from  the  immediate 
topic  and  not  return  to  it  for  some  minutes.     In  all  such 
cases  it  is  the  duty  of  the  reporter  to  regroup  and  develop 


INTERVIEWS,   SPEECHES,   COURTS 


129 


the  ideas  so  that  they  shall  follow  each  other  logically  in 
the  printed  interview  and  shall  present  the  thought  and  the 
real  spirit  of  what  the  man  wanted  to  say. 

185.  Identifying   the    One   Interviewed.  —  Probably   the 
most  used  and  the  easiest  method  of  gaining  coherence 
between  the  lead  and  the  body  of  the  interview  is  by  a  para- 
graph of  explanation  regarding  the  person,  and  how  he  came 
to  give  the  interview.     It  is  remarkable  how  many  readers 
do  not  remember  or  have  never  heard  the  name  of  the  gov- 
ernor of  New  York  or  the  senior  senator  from  California  or 
the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  and  it  is  therefore  necessary  to 
make  entirely  clear  the  position  or  rank  of  the  person  and 
his  right  to  be  heard  and  believed.     In  the  following  story, 
note  how  the  writer  dwells  on  the  rank  of  the  Oxford  Uni- 
versity^professor  as  a  lecturer  and  so  inspires  the  reader 
witjromfidence  in  his  statements: 

MODERN  DRESS  CALLED  A  JOKE 

"Look  at  our  modern  dress.  Both  men's 
and  women's  costumes  are,  on  the  whole,  as 
bad  as  they  can  be." 

Prof.  I.  B.  Stoughton  Holborn  of  Oxford  Uni- 
versity is  in  Chicago  to  deliver  a  series  of  lectures 
on  art  for  the  University  of  Chicago  Lecture 
Association.  In  an  interview  Saturday  after- 
noon he  vigorously  ridiculed  modern  dress. 

Prof.  Holborn  is  perhaps  the  most  widely 
known  of  the  Oxford  and  Cambridge  university 
extension  lecturers  and  has  the  reputation  of 
being  one  of  the  most  successful  art  lecturers  in 
the  world.  He  is  the  hero  of  an  adventure  on 
the  sinking  Lusitania.  He  saved  Avis  Dolphin, 
a  i2-year-old  child  who  was  being  sent  to 
England  to  be  educated.  The  two  women  in 
whose  charge  Mrs.  Dolphin  had  sent  her 
daughters  were  lost,  and  Prof.  Holborn  has 
adopted  the  child.  .  .  . 

186.  Handling  Conversation.  —  It  should  not  be  necessary 
to  caution  a  newspaper  man  against  attempting  to  report 


130  TYPES  OF  STORIES 

all  a  man  says.  "Condense  as  often  as  possible"  is  the 
interviewer's  watchword,  --  " cut  to  the  bone/'  as  the  re- 
porters express  it.  Much  of  what  a  man  says  in  conversa- 
tion is  prolix.  In  that  part  of  the  interview  that  is  dull  or 
wordy,  give  the  pith  of  what  is  said  in  one  or  two  brief  sen- 
tences, then  fall  into  direct  quotation  again  when  his  words 
become  interesting.  As  a  rule,  however,  it  is  well  as  far  as 
possible  to  quote  his  exact  language  all  through  the  interview, 
since  the  interest  of  an  interview  frequently  rests  not  only 
in  what  a  man  says,  but  in  the  way  he  says  it.  This  does 
not  mean  a  cut-and-dried  story  consisting  of  a  series  of 
questions  and  answers,  but  a  succession  of  sparkling,  per- 
sonal paragraphs  containing  the  direct  statements  of  the 
speaker. 

187.  Mannerisms.  —  The    report    may    be    livened    up 
greatly  with  bits  of  description  portraying  the  speaker  and 
his  surroundings,  particularly  when  they  harmonize  or  con- 
trast with  his  character  or  the  ideas  expressed.    An  excellent 
device  for  presenting  the  spirit  of  an  interview  —  giving  an 
atmosphere,  as  it  were  —  is  to  interpolate  at  intervals  in 
the  story  personal  eccentricities  or  little  mannerisms  of  speech 
of  the  one  interviewed.     Mention  of  pet  phrases,  charac- 
teristic gestures,   sudden    display   of    anger,    unexplainable 
reticence  in  answering  questions,   etc.,  will  sometimes  be 
more  effective  than  columns  of  what  the  speaker  actually 
said.     Indeed,  it  is  often  of  as  much  importance  to  pay 
as  close  attention  to  incidentals  as  to  the  remarks  of  the  one 
talking. 

188.  Persons  Refusing  to  Talk.  —  In  nine  cases  out 
ten  it  is  the  reporter's  duty  both  to  keep  himself  out  of  th< 
story  and  to  suppress  the  questions  by  which  the  man  in- 
terviewed has  been  induced  to  talk.     But  when  he  has  failed 
entirely  in  gaining  admission  to  one  he  wishes  to  interview, 
or,  having  gained  admission,  has  not  succeeded  in  making 
him  talk,  the  would-be  interviewer  may  still  present  a  good 


INTERVIEWS,   SPEECHES,   COURTS 


13* 


story  by  narrating  his  foiled  efforts  or  by  quoting  the  ques- 
tions which  the  great  man  refused  to  answer.  One  of  the 
most  brilliant  examples  that  the  present  writer  has  seen  of 
the  foiled  interview  was  one  by  Mr.  John  Edwin  Nevin  the 
day  before  Mr.  William  Jennings  Bryan  surrendered  his 
portfolio  as  Secretary  of  State  in  President  Wilson's  cabinet. 
The  nation  was  at  white  heat  over  the  contents  of  the  pro- 
spective note  to  Germany  and  the  possibility  of  the  United 
States  being  drawn  into  the  war.  Not  a  word  of  what  the 
note  contained  had  leaked  from  any  source  and  there  had 
been  no  hint  of  a  break  in  the  Wilson  cabinet.  Supposedly, 
all  was  harmony.  Yet  this  correspondent,  judging  from 
the  excited  manner  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  the  sharpness 
of  his  noncommittal  replies,  and  his  preoccupied  air  as  he 
emerged  from  the  cabinet  room,  scented  the  trouble  and 
published  the  following  story  hours  before  other  correspond- 
ents had  their  eyes  opened  to  the  history-making  events 
occurring  about  them: 


BRYAN  BALKS  AT  GERMAN  NOTE 

Washington,  D.  C.,  June  8.  —  President 
Wilson  at  1:15  this  afternoon  announced, 
through  Secretary  Tumulty,  that  at  the  cabinet 
meeting  to-day  the  note  to  Germany  "was 
gone  over  and  discussed  and  put  in  final  shape, 
and  it  is  hoped  that  it  will  go  to-morrow,"  but 
Secretary  of  State  Bryan  is  determined  to  fight 
for  a  modification  right  up  to  the  minute  that 
the  note  is  cabled  to  Berlin.  • 

Bryan  believes  the  United  States  is  on  record 
for  arbitration  and  that  it  would  be  a  mockery 
to  send  Germany  a  document  which,  he  con- 
siders, savors  of  an  ultimatum.  Although 
the  majority  of  the  cabinet  was  against  him 
to-day,  he  carried  his  persuasive  powers  from 
the  cabinet  meeting  to  the  University  Club, 
where  he  and  his  fellow  members  had  lunch. 

Bryan's  attitude  came  as  a  complete  surprise 
to  the  President.  In  previous  notes  Mr.  Bryan 


I32 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


took  the  position  that  the  United  States  should 
invite  arbitration.  He  called  attention  to  the 
fact  that  this  country  is  on  record  as  unalter- 
ably opposed  to  war  and  pledged  to  every  honor- 
able means  to  prevent  it. 

But  in  every  instance  he  has  stopped  short 
of  any  further  fight  when  the  note  has  been  ap- 
proved by  the  majority  of  the  cabinet.  And 
the  President  expected  that  he  would  do  this 
to-day.  In  fact,  before  the  cabinet  meeting 
it  was  stated  that  the  note  would  have  the  ap- 
proval of  all  members  of  the  cabinet. 

The  first  intimation  that  anything  was  wrong 
came  when  the  Secretary  did  not  show  up  at  the 
executive  offices  with  the  other  cabinet  members. 
His  absence  was  not  at  first  commented  upon 
because  Count  von  Bernstorff,  the  German 
ambassador,  was  at  the  state  department. 
However,  it  was  soon  ascertained  that  the  am- 
bassador was  conferring  with  Counselor 
Lansing. 

Then  it  was  rumored  that  Secretary  Bryan 
had  sent  word  to  President  Wilson  that  he 
would  not  stand  for  the  note  as  framed.  In- 
quiry at  the  White  House  revealed  the  fact  that 
Secretary  Bryan  had  sent  word  that  he  would  be 
in  his  office,  working  on  an  important  paper, 
and  would  be  late.  At  the  state  department, 
Eddie  Savoy,  the  Secretary's  colored  messenger, 
refused  to  take  any  cards  in  to  Bryan.  He 
said  he  did  not  know  whether  his  chief  actually 
intended  attending  the  meeting. 

"He  is  very  busy,  and  I  cannot  disturb  him," 
Eddie  stated. 

At  the  White  House  a  distinct  air  of  tension 
was  manifested.  m  All  inquiries  as  to  what  Secre- 
tary Bryan  was  going  to  do  were  ignored. 

Finally,  about  12  o'clock,  Secretary  Bryan 
left  his  office  and  came  across  the  street.  His 
face  was  flushed  and  his  features  hard  set.  He 
responded  to  inquiries  addressed  to  him  with 
negative  shakes  of  the  head.  He  swung  into 
the  cabinet  room  with  the  set  stride  with  which 
he  mounted  the  steps  of  the  Baltimore  platform 
to  deliver  his  famous  speech  attacking  Charles 
F.  Murphy  and  Tammany  Hall,  and  precipitat- 


INTERVIEWS,  SPEECHES,   COURTS 


133 


ing  his  break  with  Ghamp  Clark,  whose  nomi- 
nation for  the  presidency  up  to  that  time  seemed 
assured. 

For  more  than  an  hour  after  he  reached  the 
cabinet  room  the  doors  were  closed.  Across 
the  hall  the  President's  personal  messenger 
had  erected  a  screen  to  keep  the  curious  at  a 
distance. 

At  last  the  door  was  thrown  open  with  a  bang. 
First  to  emerge  were  Secretaries  McAdoo  and 
Redfield,  who  brushed  through  the  crowd  of 
newspaper  representatives.  They  referred  all 
inquiries  to  the  President.  Secretary  of  War 
Garrison  came  out  alone.  He  refused  to  say  a 
word  regarding  the  note.  There  was  an  in- 
terval of  nearly  ten  minutes.  Then  Secretaries 
Daniels  and  Wilson  came  out.  Behind  them 
was  Attorney  General  Gregory,  and,  bringing 
up  the  rear,  was  Secretary  Bryan.  Bryan's 
face  was  still  set.  His  turned-down  collar  was 
damp  and  his  face  was  beaded  with  perspiration. 

"Was  the  note  to  Germany  completed?"  he 
was  asked. 

"I  cannot  discuss  what  transpired  at  the 
cabinet  meeting,"  was  his  sharp  reply. 

"Can  you  clear  up  the  mystery  and  tell  us 
when  the  note  will  go  forward  to  Berlin?"  per- 
sisted inquirers. 

"That  I  would  not  care  to  discuss,"  said  the 
Secretary,  as  he  joined  Secretary  Lane.  "I  am 
not  in  a  position  to  make  any  announcement 
of  any  sort  now.  I  will  tell  you  when  the  note 
actually  has  started." 

Ordinarily,  Secretary  Bryan  goes  from  a 
cabinet  meeting  to  his  office,  drinks  a  bottle  of 
milk  and  eats  a  sandwich.  To-day  he  entered 
Secretary  Lane's  carriage  and,  with  Lane  and 
Secretary  Daniels,  proceeded  to  the  University 
Club  for  luncheon. 

It  is  understood  that  Secretary  Bryan  took 
to  the  cabinet  meeting  a  memorandum  in  which 
he  justified  his  views  that  the  proposed  note  is 
not  of  a  character  that  the  United  States  should 
send  to  Germany.  He  took  the  position  that  the 
United  States,  in  executing  arbitration  treaties 
with  most  of  the  countries  of  the  world,  took  a 


134 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


direct  position  against  war.  As  he  put  it,  on 
great  questions  of  national  honor,  the  sort  that 
make  for  welfare,  arbitration  is  the  only  remedy. 

Secretary  Bryan  is  understood  to  have  urged 
that  the  United  States  could  stand  firmly  for 
its  rights  and  not  close  the  doors  to  any  ex- 
planation that  Germany  —  or  any  other  bel- 
ligerent —  might  make.  It  is  understood  that 
Bryan  pointed  out  that  Germany  had  accepted 
the  principles  of  the  arbitration  treaties  as  a 
general  proposition,  but  failed  to  execute  the 
treaty  because  of  the  European  War  breaking 
out.  Her  opponents  enjoy  the  advantages 
under  such  a  treaty,  and  Secretary  Bryan  in- 
sisted that  Germany  should  not  be  denied  the 
same  rights.  .  .  . 

Although  Secretary  Bryan  will  continue  his 
efforts  to  modify  the  note,  persons  close  to  the 
President  insist  that  he  will  fail.  The  President 
is  said  to  have  decided,  after  hearing  all  argu- 
ments, that  the  safest  course  is  to  remain  firm 
in  the  demand  that  American  rights  under 
international  law  be  preserved.  And  it  is  ex- 
pected that  when  the  note  is  finally  O.  K.'d  by 
Counselor  Lansing,  it  will  be  sent  to  Germany. 

There  is  speculation  as  to  whether  Secretary 
Bryan  will  sign  the  note  as  Secretary  of  State. 
He  has  angrily  refused  to  take  any  positive  posi- 
tion on  the  subject.  If  he  should  refuse,  his 
retirement  from  the  cabinet  would  be  certain. 
Bryan's  friends  insist  that  he  has  been  loyal  to 
the  President  and  has  made  many  concessions 
to  meet  the  latter's  wishes.  They  believe  that 
he  will  content  himself  with  a  protest  and 
again  bow  to  the  will  of  his  chief.  But  there 
was  no  way  of  getting  any  confirmation  of  this 
opinion  from  Bryan. 

This  is  the  first  serious  friction  that  has  de- 
veloped in  President  Wilson's  cabinet.  Poli- 
ticians declare  it  will  have  far-reaching  effect. 
Bryan  has  fought  consistently  for  arbitration 
principles.  And  he  now  considers,  some  of  his 
friends  think,  that  they  have  been  ridden  over 
rough-shod.1  .  .  . 


John  Edwin  Nevin  in  The  Omaha  News,  June  8, 1915. 


INTERVIEWS,   SPEECHES,   COURTS  135 

The  next  morning  President  Wilson  announced  his  ac- 
ceptance of  Mr.  Bryan's  resignation  as  Secretary  of  State. 

189.  Value  of  Inference  in  the  Foiled  Interview.  -  -  The 
reporter  who  would  attain  success  in  his  profession  should 
not  fail  to  study  with  care  this  story  by  Mr.  Nevin,  to  learn 
not  so  much  what  the  story  contains  as  what  the  person  who 
wrote  it  had  to  know  and  had  to  be  able  to  do  before  he  could 
turn  out  such  a  piece  of  work.     One  should  analyze  it  to  see 
how  startlingly  few  new  facts  the  correspondent  had  in  his 
possession  at  the  time  he  was  writing,  and  how  he  played 
up  those  lonesome   details  with  a  premonition  of  coming 
events  that  was  uncanny.     Above  all,  the  prospective  re- 
porter should  observe  with  what  rare  judgment  and  accuracy 
the  writer  noted  in  Mr.  Bryan's  demeanor  a  few  distinctive 
incidents  which  were  at  once  both  trivial  and  yet  laden  with 
suggestions  of  events  to  come.     To  produce  this  story  the 
writer  had  to  know  not  only  a  man,  but  men.     A  cub  would 
have  got  nothing;  this  man  scooped  the  best  correspondents 
of  the  nation. 

190.  Series   of   Interviews.  —  In   a   story   containing   a 
number  of  interviews,  let  the  lead  feature  the  consensus  of 
opinion  expressed  in  the  interviews.    Then  follow  in  the 
body  with  the  individual  quotations,  each  man's  name  being 
placed  prominently  at  the  beginning  of  the  paragraph  con- 
taining his  interview,  so  that  in  a  rapid  reading  of  the  story 
the  eye  may  catch  readily  the  change  from  the  words  of  one 
man  to  another.     When  there  is  a  large  number  of  such 
interviews,  the  name  may  even  be  set  in  display  type  at  the 
beginning    of    the    paragraph.     If,    however,    the    persons 
interviewed  are  not  at  all  prominent,  but  their  statements 
are  worth  while,  the  quotations  may  be  given  successively 
and  the  names  buried  within  the  paragraph. 

191.  Leads  for  Speeches.  —  In  comparison  with  handling 
an  interview,  a  report  of  a  speech  is  an  easy  task.     In  the 
case  of  the  sermon  or  the  lecture,  typewritten  copies  are  ^^~ 


136 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


almost  always  available  and  the  thoughts  are  presented  ir 
orderly  sequence.  So  if  the  reporter  has  followed  the  advice 
given  in  Part  II,  Chapter  VII,  and  taken  longhand  notes  ol 
a  speech,  or  has  not  been  so  engrossed  in  mere  note-taking 
that  he  has  been  unable  to  follow  the  trend  of  the  speaker's 
thought,  he  will  experience  comparatively  little  trouble  in 
writing  up  the  speech.  He  may  begin  in  any  one  of  a  half- 
dozen  or  more  ways.  He  may  feature:  (i)  the  speaker's 
theme;  (2)  the  title  of  the  address,  which  may  or  may  not 
be  the  theme;  (3)  a  sentence  or  a  paragraph  of  forceful 
direct  quotation;  (4)  an  indirect  quotation  of  one  or  more 
dynamic  statements;  (5)  the  speaker's  name;  (6)  the  oc- 
casion of  the  speech;  or  (7)  the  time  or  the  place  of  delivery. 
Any  one  of  these  may  be  played  up  according  to  its  import- 
ance in  the  address. 

192.  Featuring   a    Single    Sentence.  —  Of    the   seven  or 
eight  different  kinds  of  lead,  a  quotation  of  a  single  sentence 
or  a  single  paragraph  is  happiest  if  one  can  be  found  that  will 
give  the  keynote  of  the  speech  or  will  harmonize  with  a 
declared  policy  of  the  paper.    Thus: 

"It  is  the  traitor  god  Love  that  makes  men 
tell  foolish  lies  and  women  tell  the  fool  truth," 
said  Prof.  Henry  Acheson  last  night  in  his  lecture 
on  "  Flirts." 

"The  devil  has  gone  out  of  fashion.  After  a 
long  and  honorable  career  as  truant  officer,  he 
has  finally  been  buried  with  his  fathers.  That 
is  why  twentieth  century  men  and  women  don't 
attend  church."  Such  was  Dr.  Amos  Buck- 
win's  explanation  yesterday  of  the  church- 
going  problem. 

193.  Random    Statements.  —  Emphasis    should   be   laic 
on  the  value  of  playing  up  in  the  lead  even  a  random  state- 
ment if  it  chances  to  agree  with  a  specific  policy  or  campaign 
"to  which  the  paper  has  committed  itself.     In  a  non-political 
address  or  sermon  an  unwary  statement  touching  national, 


INTERVIEWS,   SPEECHES,   COURTS 


137 


state,  or  city  politics  makes  an  excellent  feature  if  it  favors 
the  policies  of  the  paper.  Its  worth  lies  in  the  fact  that  it 
is  manifestly  unprejudiced  and  advanced  by  the  speaker  with 
no  ulterior  motive.  On  the  other  hand,  such  a  statement 
may  well  be  ignored  if  opposed  to  the  paper's  political  or 
civic  views.  For  example,  note  in  the  following  lead  a 
feature  played  up  solely  because  the  paper  was  Democratic 
in  its  politics: 

"I  was  a  student  in  one  of  the  classes  taught 
by  Woodrow  Wilson.  Anyone  who  has  ever 
seen  the  lower  part  of  his  facial  anatomy  knows 
that  when  he  says  'no'  he  does  not  mean  'yes,'  " 
said  Bishop  Theodore  Henderson  at  the  Metho- 
dist Church  yesterday  morning. 

It  was  not  a  political  sermon.  Aside  from 
what  political  significance  the  above  quotation 
might  have,  there  was  nothing  political  about 
his  discourse.  He  brought  it  out  in  referring 
to  the  President  doing  away  with  the  inaugural 
ball  in  1915,  which  he  nearly  classed  as  a  drunken 
orgy  run  by  politicians.  He  was  emphasizing 
the  President's  "no,"  that  his  family  would  not 
be  present  even  if  he  himself  had  to  attend. 


As  in  this  story,  however,  the  writer  must  be  careful  always 
to  make  clear  the  precise  relation  of  the  featured  quotation 
to  the  speech  as  a  whole. 

194.  Indirect  Quotation.  -  -  The  chief  reason  for  quoting 
indirectly  in  the  lead  a  single  statement  of  a  speaker  is  the 
need  of  shifting  an  important  point  to  the  very  first; 

That  an  inordinate  indulgence  in  mere 
amusement  is  softening  the  fiber  of  the  Ameri- 
can nation  and  sapping  its  vitality,  was  the 
statement  of  Allen  A.  Pendel,  president  of  the 
Southwest  Press  Company,  at  the  monthly 
meeting  of  the  Crust  Breakers,  Saturday. 

195.  Title  Featured.  —  The  use  of  the  subject  of  the 
speech  as  a  feature  is  advisable  when  it  is  particularly  happy 
or  when  it  expresses  the  theme  of  the  address. 


138  TYPES  OF  STORIES 


"The  National  Importance  of  Woman's 
Health"  was  the  subject  of  Dr.  A.  T.  Schofield's 
lecture  at  the  Institute  of  Hygiene,  Wednesday. 

Taking  as  his  subject,  "The  Tragedy  of  the 
Unprepared,"  the  Rev.  Otis  Colleman  delivered 
a  powerful  attack  in  Grace  Church  Sunday 
against  unpreparedness  in  one's  personal  life 
and  in  the  home,  the  state,  and  the  nation. 


196.  Theme  Featured.  —  The  theme  may  be  featured 
when  a  single-sentence  quotation  cannot  readily  be  found 
and  the  subject  does  not  indicate  the  nature  of  the  address. 


Condemnation  of  the  twentieth-century 
woman's  dress  was  voiced  at  the  Ninth  Inter- 
national Purity  Congress  by  Rev.  Albion  Smith, 
Madison,  Wis.,  who  spoke  on  "Spirit  Rule  vs. 
Animal  Rule  for  Men  and  Women." 


197.  Summary  Lead.  —  Oftentimes  the  theme  lead  shades 
into  a  summarizing  lead  and  the  two  become  one  of  indirect 
quotation.  Long  summarizing  leads  of  speeches  are  to  be 
avoided  as  a  rule,  since  they  are  liable  to  become  overloaded 
and  cumbersome.  When  using  this  lead,  the  writer  must 
be  particularly  careful  to  see  that  the  individual  clauses  are 
relatively  short  and  simple  in  structure  and  that  the  relation 
of  each  to  the  other  and  to  the  sentence  as  a  whole  is 
absolutely  clear. 


Stating  that  the  public  schools  are  the  greatest 
instrument  for  the  development  of  socialism  in 
this  country,  that  the  socialists  must  get  control 
of  the  courts,  that  the  party  is  not  developing 
as  rapidly  at  present  as  it  did  a  few  years  ago, 
and  that  the  opportunity  that  exists  in  this 
country  for  the  individual  has  been  largely  to 
blame  for  the  slow  development  of  the  Socialist 
party  in  America,  John  C.  Kennedy,  Socialist 
speaker  and  member  of  the  Chicago  common 
council,  spoke  on  "The  Outlook  for  Socialism 
in  America"  at  the  Social  Democratic  picnic 
held  in  Pabst  Park  on  Sunday. 


INTERVIEWS,   SPEECHES,   COURTS 


139 


198.  Speaker's  Name  Featured.  —  The  speaker's  name 
comes  first,  of  course,  only  when  he  is  sufficiently  prominent 
locally  or  nationally  to  justify  featuring  him. 

Billy  Sunday  made  the  devil  tuck  his  tail  be- 
tween his  legs  and  skedaddle  Friday  night. 

Justice  Charles  E.  Hughes,  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States,  came  to  New  York 
yesterday  as  the  guest  of  the  New  York  State 
Bar  Association,  which  is  holding  its  thirty- 
ninth  annual  meeting  in  this  city.  In  the  even- 
ing at  the  Astor  Hotel  he  delivered  a  scholarly 
address  before  that  body  on  the  topic,  "Some 
Aspects  of  the  Development  of  American  Law." 
Then  he  shook  hands  with  several  hundreds  of 
the  members  of  the  association  and  their  friends, 
turned  around  and  went  right  back  again  to 
the  seclusion  of  the  Supreme  Court  Chamber 
in  Washington. 

199.  Featuring  the   Occasion.  —  Featuring   the   occasion 
of  a  speech  or  the  auspices  under  which  it  was  given  is  justifi- 
able only  when  the  speech  and  the  speaker  are  of  minor 
importance. 

Before  the  first  hobo  congress  ever  held  in  the 
world  William  Eads  Howe,  millionaire  president 
of  the  convention,  spoke  Monday  on  the  need 
of  closer  union  among  passengers  on  the  T.  P. 
andW. 

200.  Featuring   Time   and   Place.  —  Only   rarely   is   the 
time  or  the  place  featured.     But  either  may  be  played  up 
when  sufficiently  important. 

Speaking  from  the  door  of  Col.  Henry  Cook's 
chicken  house  on  Ansley  Road  to  an  audience 
of  250  colored  brethren  in  a  neighboring  barn, 
the  Rev.  Ezekiel  Butler,  colored,  began  in  a 
pouring  rain  Sunday  night  the  first  service  of 
the  annual  Holly  Springs  open-air  meetings. 

201.  Featuring  Several  Details.    —When  the  speaker,  the 
subject,  the  occasion,  and  the  place  are  all  important,  it  may 


140 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


be  needful  to  make  a  long  summarizing  lead  of  several  para- 
graphs, explaining  all  these  features  in  detail.  In  such  £ 
case  a  quarter-  or  a  half-column  may  be  required  before  one 
can  get  to  the  address  itself.  The  following  story  of  Presi- 
dent Wilson's  first  campaign  speech  for  reelection,  delivered 
at  Pittsburgh  on  January  29,  1916,  is  an  illustration: 


WILSON  BEGINS  CAMPAIGN 

President  Wilson  as  "trustee  of  the  ideals  of 
America,"  to  employ  his  own  phrase,  has  taken 
his  case  to  the  people. 

He  opened  here  to-day  the  most  momentous 
speech-making  tour  perhaps  made  by  a  Presi- 
dent within  a  generation  with  an  appeal  to  keep 
national  preparedness  out  of  partisan  politics 
and  to  give  it  no  place  as  a  possible  campaign 
issue. 

The  nonpartisanship  urged  by  the  President 
was  reflected  in  Pittsburgh  greeting  to  the 
executive. 

A  Republican  ex- Congressman,  James  Francis 
Burke,  presided  at  the  meeting  under  the  aus- 
pices of  the  chamber  of  commerce  in  Soldiers' 
Memorial  Hall.  "  Preparedness  is  a  matter  of 
patriotism,  not  of  party,"  he  said. 

Pittsburgh  welcome  to  the  President  and 
Mrs.  Wilson  was  warm,  but  not  demonstrative. 
When  the  speechmaking  began,  Memorial  Hall 
was  packed  with  an  audience  of  4,500,  while  on 
the  steps  and  plaza  outside  some  8,000  or  10,000 
men  and  women  surged,  unable  to  get  admission, 
but  eager  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  executive  and 
his  bride. 

When  the  presidential  party,  Mrs.  Wilson  in 
front,  filed  on  the  platform  there  was  a  demon- 
stration, brief  but  spontaneous,  the  first  lady  of 
the  land  drawing  as  prolonged  applause  as  her 
husband  on  his  appearance. 

The  audience  was  an  intent  one.  Its  pose 
was  one  of  keen  attention  to  the  President's 
utterances. 

Occasionally  a  particularly  facile  phrase,  such 
as  when  the  President  spoke  of  the  need  of 


INTERVIEWS,   SPEECHES,   COURTS 


141 


"spiritual  efficiency"  as  a  basis  for  military 
efficiency,  started  the  hand-clapping  and  gusts 
of  applause  swept  through  the  hall. 

For  Pennsylvania,  Republican  stronghold, 
which  gave  Roosevelt  a  plurality  of  51,000  over 
Wilson  in  1912,  the  reception  accorded  the  Presi- 
dent is  regarded  as  quite  satisfactory.  Down- 
town in  the  business  district  there  was  hardly  a 
ripple. 

But  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Hotel  Schen- 
ley,  out  by  the  Carnegie  Institute,  a  large 
crowd  turned  out  a  few  hours  after  the  Presi- 
dent's arrival  and  kept  their  glances  on  the 
seventh  floor,  which  was  banked  in  roses  and 
orchids. 

"  As  your  servant  and  representative,  I  should 
come  and  report  to  you  on  our  public  affairs," 
the  President  began.  "It  is  the  duty  of  every 
public  man  to  hold  frank  counsel  with  the  people 
he  represents."  l  .  .  . 


General 
E/ect  of 
the  Visit 


Inquisi- 
tive 
Crowds 


Beginning 
of  the 
Speech 


202.  Body  of  the  Story.  —  In  writing  the  body  of  the  story, 
the  first  thing  to  strive  for  is  proper  coherence  with  the  lead. 
This  caution  is  worth  particular  heed  when  the  lead  con- 
tains a  single-sentence  quotation,  an  indirect  question,  or 
a  paragraph  of  direct  statement  from  somewhere  in  the  body 
of  the  speech.     Few  things  are  more  incongruous  in  a  story 
than  a  clever  epigrammatic  lead  and  a  succession  of  quoted 
statements  following,  none  of  which  exhibits  a  definite  bear- 
ing on  the  lead.     Oftentimes  this  incongruity  is  produced 
by  the  reporter's  attempt  to  follow  the  precise  order  adopted 
by  the  speaker.     Such  an  order,  however,  should  be  mani- 
festly impossible  in  a  news  report  when  the  writer  has  dug 
out  for  use  in  the  lead  a  lone  sentence  or  paragraph  from  the 
middle  of  the  speech.     Rather,  one  should  continue  such  a 
lead  with  a  paragraph  or  so  of  development,  then  follow  with 
paragraphs  of  direct  quotation  which  originally  may  or  may 
not  have  preceded  the  idea  featured  in  the  lead. 

203.  Accuracy.  -  -  The    second    consideration    must    be 


Arthur  M.  Evans  in  The  Chicago  Herald,  January  30,  1916. 


142  TYPES  OF  STORIES 

the  same  accuracy  and  fairness  that  was  emphasized  in  the 
discussion  of  the  interview.  Some  reporters,  for  instance, 
take  the  liberty  of  putting  within  quotation  marks,  as  though 
quoted  directly,  whole  paragraphs  that  they  know  are  not 
given  verbatim,  their  grounds  for  the  liberty  being  that  they 
know  they  are  reporting  the  speaker  with  entire  accuracy, 
and  the  use  of  "quotes"  gives  the  story  greater  emphasis 
and  intimacy  of  appeal.  This  liberty  is  to  be  condemned. 
When  a  reporter  puts  quotation  marks  about  a  phrase  or 
clause,  he  declares  to  his  readers  that  the  other  man,  not 
he,  is  responsible  for  the  statement  exactly  as  printed.  And 
even  though  a  man  may  think  he  is  reporting  a  speaker 
with  absolute  precision,  there  is  always  the  possibility  that 
he  may  have  misunderstood.  Indeed,  it  is  just  these  chance 
misunderstandings  that  trip  reporters  and  frequently  neces- 
sitate speakers'  denying  published  accounts  of  their  lectures. 
Only  what  one  has  taken  down  verbatim  should  be  put  within 
quotation  marks.  All  else  should  be  reported  indirectly 
with  an  unwavering  determination  to  convey  the  real  spirit 
of  the  lecture  or  sermon,  not  to  play  up  an  isolated  or  random 
subtopic  that  has  little  bearing  on  the  speech  as  a  whole. 
Any  reporter  can  find  in  any  lecture  statements  which,  taken 
without  the  accompanying  qualifications,  may  be  adroitly 
warped  to  make  the  story  good  and  the  speaker  ridiculous 
in  the  eyes  of  the  reading  public. 

204.  Speech  Story  as  a  Whole.  —  The  story  as  a  whole 
should  be  a  little  speech  in  itself.  Whole  topics  may  be 
omitted.  Others  that  possibly  occupied  pages  of  manu- 
script and  took  several  minutes  to  present  may  be  cut  down 
to  a  single  sentence.  Still  others  may  be  presented  in  full. 
But  the  quotation  marks  and  the  cohering  phrases,  such  as 
"said  he,"  "continued  the  speaker,"  "Mr.  Wilson  said  in 
part,"  etc.,  should  be  carefully  inserted  so  as  to  make  it 
entirely  clear  to  the  reader  when  the  statements  are  a  con- 
densation of  the  speaker's  remarks  and  when  they  are  direct 


INTERVIEWS,   SPEECHES,   COURTS  143 

quotations.  Such  connecting  phrases,  however,  should  be 
placed  in  unemphatic  positions  within  the  paragraph  and 
should  have  their  form  so  varied  as  not  to  attract  undue 
attention.  And  as  in  the  interview,  the  report  as  a  whole 
should  be  livened  up  at  intervals  with  phrases  and  para- 
graphs calling  attention  to  characteristic  gestures,  facial 
expressions,  and  individual  eccentricities  of  the  speaker's 
person,  manner,  or  dress. 

205.  Series  of  Speeches. — When  reporting  a  series  of 
speeches,  as  at  a  banquet,  convention,  political  picnic,  or  a 
holiday  celebration,  it  generally  is  the  best  policy  to  play  up 
at  length  the  strongest  address,  or  else  the  speech  of  the  most 
important  personage,  then  summarize  the  remaining  talks 
in  a  paragraph  or  so  at  the  end  of  the  story.     If  all  are  of 
about  equal  importance,  the  lead  may  feature  the  general 
trend  of  thought  of  the  different  speakers  or  else  some  single 
startling  statement  setting  forth  the  character  and  spirit  of 
the  meeting.     The  story  may  then  proceed  with  summarizing 
quotations  or  indirect  statements  of  the  individual  speakers, 
giving  each  space  according  to  the  value  of  his  address. 
Where  the  body  of  the  story  is  made  up  of  direct  and  indirect 
quotations  from  several  speeches,  the  speaker's  name  should 
come  first  in  the  paragraph  in  which  he  is  quoted,  so  that 
the  eye  of  the  reader  running  rapidly  down  the  column  may 
catch  readily  that  portion  of  the  story  given  to  each  person 
quoted. 

206.  Banquets,  Conventions,  etc. —  Not  always,  however, 
are  speeches  important,  or  even  delivered,  on  these  social, 
political,  and  holiday  occasions.     If  not,  the  reporter  must 
devote  his  attention  to  the  occasion,  to  any  unusual  incidents 
or  events,  or  to  the  persons  attending.     In  reporting  ban- 
quets, it  may  be  the  persons  present,  the  novelty  of  the  favors, 
the  originality  of  the  menu,  or  the  occasion  itself  that  must 
be  featured.    In  conventions  it  may  be  the  purpose  or  ex- 
pected results,  certain  effects  on  national  or  state  legislation. 


144  TYPES  OF  STORIES 

or  any  departures  or  new  ideas  in  evidence.  In  reporting 
conventions  of  milliners,  tailors,  jewelers,  and  the  like,  one 
can  always  find  excellent  features  in  the  incoming  styles. 
The  public  is  greedy  for  stories  of  advance  styles.  In  politi- 
cal picnics  the  feature  is  practically  always  the  speeches, 
though  sometimes  there  are  athletic  contests  that  provide 
good  copy  and  may  be  presented  in  accordance  with  Part 
III,  Chapter  XVI.  In  holiday  celebrations  also  the  feature 
may  be  speeches  or  athletic  contests,  or  else  parades  of 
floats,  fraternal  orders,  soldiers,  etc.  Usually,  however,  the 
occurrence  of  some  untoward  accident  that  mars  the  occa- 
sion itself  furnishes  a  story  feature  of  greater  importance 
than  the  monotony  of  the  parade  and  the  contests. 

207.  Current  Magazine  Articles,  etc.  —  News  stories  of 
articles  appearing  in  current  magazines,  books,  government 
publications,  educational  journals,  and  the  like  are  of  the 
same  type  as  stories  of  addresses.    The  lead  may  feature  the 
theme,  the  title,  the  author,  a  single  sentence,  an  entire 
paragraph,  the  society  or  organization  publishing  the  article 
or  report,  or  even  the  motive  back  of  the  article.    And  the 
body  follows  usually  with  direct  quotations  summarizing 
the  whole.     Such  news  stories  generally  are  very  readable, 
particularly  if  they  are  timely.     But  the  reporter  must  be 
careful  to  avoid  extended  analysis  or  learned  comment.     A 
long  catalogue  of  errors  with  the  page  on  which  each  may 
be  found  is  good  in  scholarly  magazines,  but  worthless  in 
news  columns.    The  reporter's  office  is  to  write  for  the  en- 
tertainment and  enlightenment  of  the  public,  not  for  the 
instruction  of  the  author  about  whose  article  he  is  writing. 
Hence  he  should  report  only  those  details  that  are  of  interest 
to  the  readers  of  his  journal. 

208.  Courts. —  Court,  trial,  and  inquest  stories  are  but 
a  combination  of  the  methods  of  handling  interviews  and 
speeches,  the  questions  and  answers  of  the  attorneys  and  wit- 
nesses being  the  interviews,  the  arguments  of  the  lawyers 


INTERVIEWS,   SPEECHES,   COURTS  145 

and  the  decisions  of  the  court  being  the  speeches.  The 
writing  of  the  court  story  as  a  whole  follows  closely  the 
method  already  outlined  for  interviews  and  speeches.  The 
lead,  however,  varies  greatly  accordingly  to  the  stage  of  the 
court  proceedings.  If  a  verdict  has  been  brought  in,  the 
guilt  or  innocence  of  the  defendant,  the  penalty  imposed,  or 
an  application  for  a  rehearing  may  be  featured,  and  the  body 
of  the  story  continues  with  a  statement  from  the  prisoner, 
quotations  from  the  speeches  of  the  opposing  attorneys, 
and  the  judge's  charge  to  the  jury.  If  the  trial  has  reached 
only  an  intermediate  stage,  the  lead  may  feature  the  cause 
of  the  court  proceedings,  a  significant  bit  of  testimony,  the 
name  of  an  important  witness,  the  point  reached  in  the  day's 
work,  the  probable  length  of  the  trial,  any  unusual  clash  of 
the  attorneys  over  the  admission  of  certain  testimony,  or 
possibly  the  prisoner's  changed  attitude  resulting  from  the 
long  nervous  strain.  Then  the  body,  as  in  reports  of  speeches, 
may  follow  with  interesting  bits  of  quotation  from  the  testi- 
mony or  from  the  arguments  of  the  attorneys,  with  sum- 
marizing paragraphs  of  the  evidence  and  the  proceedings 
as  a  whole.  Occasionally,  in  order  to  bring  out  significant 
points  in  the  depositions,  it  may  become  necessary  to  quote 
verbatim  questions  and  answers  in  the  cross-examination, 
but  generally  a  more  readable  story  may  be  had  by  report- 
ing the  testimony  continuously  and  omitting  the  questions 
altogether.  Even  when  playing  up  a  court  decision,  it  is 
rarely  wise  to  quote  large  extracts  verbatim,  owing  to  the 
heaviness  of  legal  expression  and  the  frequent  use  of  technical 
terms.  Only  when  the.  form  of  the  decision,  as  well  as  the 
facts,  is  vital,  should  the  language  of  the  decree  be  quoted 
at  length.  And  even  then  it  is  better,  as  a  rule,  to  print 
the  entire  decision  separately  and  write  an  independent 
summarizing  story.  When  writing  up  trials  continued 
from  preceding  days,  one  must  be  careful  to  connect  the  story 
with  what  has  gone  before,  explaining  who  the  persons  are, 


146 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


the  cause  of  their  appearance  in  court,  and  where  the  trial 
is  being  conducted.  Only  in  this  way  can  readers  who  have 
not  kept  up  with  the  trial  understand  the  present  story. 

209.  Humorous  Court  Stories.  —  A  word  of  caution  must 
be  given  against  the  temptation  to  write  court  stories  humor- 
ously at  the  expense  of  accuracy  and  the  feelings  of  those 
unfortunate  ones  drawn  into  public  notice  by  some  one's 
transgression  of  law  or  ethics.  The  law  of  libel  and  its  far- 
reaching  power  has  been  dwelt  on  in  Part  II,  Chapter  X, 
and  it  need  not  be  emphasized  here  that  libel  lurks  in  wrong 
street  numbers,  misspelled  names,  misplaced  words  and 
phrases,  and  even  in  accidental  resemblance  between  names 
and  between  personal  descriptions.  But  the  reporter  should 
be  cautioned  against  warping  facts  for  the  sake  of  making 
a  good  story.  Those  who  stand  before  the  bar  of  justice, 
no  matter  for  what  cause,  how  wrong  or  how  right,  are 
keenly  sensitive  about  even  the  publication  of  their  names. 
Indeed,  it  is  fear  of  newspaper  notoriety  that  keeps  many 
a  man  from  seeking  and  obtaining  that  justice  which  is 
due  every  individual  at  the  hands  of  the  law.  The  present 
writer  has  seen  many  an  innocent  person  in  a  state  of  nervous 
collapse  over  a  barbed  thrust  made  by  a  satirizing  humorist 
in  the  columns  of  a  paper.  Na  criticism  is  made  of  true 
reports;  objection  is  made  only  to  those  warped  for  the 
sake  merely  of  producing  a  good  story.  In  a  leading  Southern 
paper  appeared  the  following: 

FROGEYE   HAD   A  RIVAL 

Come  er  lef!  come  er  right! 

come  er  rag  an'  shawl! 
Come  to  yo'  honey-bunch  straight 

down  de  hall! 
Up  towa'd  de  front  do',  back 

towa'd  de  wall, 
Gimme  room  to  scramble  at  de 

Potlicker  Ball! 

"What's  this?"  demanded   the   judge   fero- 
ciously.    "Another  Potlicker  row?    I'm  going 


INTERVIEWS,  SPEECHES,   COURTS 


147 


to  have  to  do  something  about  you  folks. 
You're  always  in  hot  water." 

The  defendents  —  a  weird  assortment  of  the 
youth  and  beauty  of  the  Black  Belt,  their  finery 
somewhat  damaged  after  a  night  behind  the 
bars  —  shifted  uneasily  on  their  respective 
number  nines.  A  cross-eyed  mulatto  had  the 
courage  to  speak,  albeit  a  trifle  morosely. 

"Us  ain't  in  no  hot  water,  jedge,"  she 
drawled.  "Us  ain't  been  doin'  nothin'  but 
dancin'." 

"What's  your  name,  girl?"  inquired  the 
clerk. 

He  was  answered  by  Frogeye,  who  celebrated 
his  latest  release  from  gaol  by  attending  the 
Potlicker  Ball.  "Dat's  Three-Finger  Fanny," 
stated  Frogeye  in  a  voice  of  authority.  "She 
done  start  de  hull  rucus." 

Three-Finger  Fanny  bridled.  Before  she 
could  open  her  mouth,  Frogeye  plunged  into 
the  tale:  "Ef  it  hadn't  er  been  fo'  dat  three- 
fingered,  cross-eyed,  blistered-footed  gal  we'd 
er  been  dar  dancin'  yit.  But  she  an  Bugabear 
spill  de  beans.  She  come  up  ter  me  an*  say, 
'  Mister  Frogeye,  kin  you  ball  de  Jack? '  I  tells 
her  she  don't  see  no  chains  on  me,  do  she?  An' 
we  whirl  right  in.  Hoccome  I  knowed  she 
promise  dat  dance  ter  Bugabear?  We  ain't 
ball  de  Jack  twice  'roun'  fo'  heah  he  come  wid 
er  beer  bottle  shoutin'  dat  I  done  tuk  his  gal 
erway.  I'se  'bleeged  ter  'fend  mahse'f,  ain't  I, 
jedge?  Well,  den!" 

The  conclusion  of  Frogeye's  story  lacked 
climax,  but  apparently  the  judge  got  the  gist  of 
it,  for  he  said:  " It  seems  to  me  all  of  you  dancers 
need  a  summer  vacation.  They  say  there's 
nothing  like  a  little  arm  work  to  improve  the 
grip.  Thirty  days,  everybody!" 


But  every  reader  knows  that  in  one  round-up  of  negro  male- 
factors, characters  such  as  Frogeye,  Three-Finger  Fanny, 
and  Bugabear  are  not  going  to  be  arrested  at  one  "  Potlicker 
Ball."  The  story  is  a  good  one  if  the  reader  will  suspend 
his  sense  of  realism  sufficiently  to  enjoy  it.  .  But  in  its  pur- 


148  TYPES  OF  STORIES 

port  to  be  a  true  account  of  an  arrest  and  a  trial  of  certain 
persons,  it  makes  one  doubt  first  the  story,  then  the  news- 
paper that  printed  it,  and  finally  newspapers  in  general. 
And  so  develops  one  of  the  main  causes  of  criticism  of  the 
modern  newspaper.  A  reporter  must  resolve  to  tell  the 
truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but  the  truth.  A 
journal  loses  its  power  the  moment  it  is  wrong. 


XV.    ACCIDENT,  CRIME 

210.  Accident  and  Crime  Stories.  —  Accident  and  crime 
stories  are  grouped  together  because  they  are  handled  alike 
and  because  they  differ  from  each  other  only  in  point  of  view, 
or  in  the  fact  that  in  the  one  some  one  is  guilty  of  lawbreak- 
ing,  while  in  the  other  the  participants  are  merely  unfortu- 
nate.    The  two,  of  course,  frequently  overlap,  since  a  death 
or  a  wreck  which  at  first  may  seem  purely  accidental  may 
later  prove  to  have  been  the  result  of  a  criminal  act.    In 
this  chapter,  however,  accident  stories  will  be  taken  to  in- 
clude fires,  street-car  smash-ups,  railroad  wrecks,  automobile 
collisions,  runaways,  explosions,  mine  disasters,  strokes  of 
lightning,    drownings,  floods,  storms,  shipwrecks,  etc.     In 
the  list  of  crime  will  be  placed  murders,  assaults,  suicides, 
suspicious  deaths,  robberies,  embezzlements,  arson,  etc.     Of 
the  accident  class,  the  method  of  writing  a  fire  story  may  be 
taken  as  a  type  for  the  whole  group. 

211.  Lead  to  a  Fire   Story.  —  Ordinarily  the  lead  to  a 
story  of  a  fire  should  tell  what  was  destroyed,  the  location  of 
the  property,  the  extent  of  the  damage,  the  occupants  or 
owners,  the  time,  the' cause,  and  what  made  the  loss  possible, 

-  answering,  in  other  words,  the  questions  who,  what,  when, 
where,  why,  how,  and  how  much.    Thus: 

Fire  originating  in  a  pile  of  shavings  crawled 
across  a  loo-yard  stretch  of  dry  Bermuda  grass 
at  an  early  hour  this  morning,  destroying  the 
cotton  warehouse  at  615  Railroad  Street,  owned 
by  J.  O.  Hunnicut,  president  of  the  First 
National  Bank.  The  loss  is  $25,000  with  no 
insurance. 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


212.  Lives  Lost  or  Endangered.  —  The  fire  lead  ma} 
feature  any  one  or  more  of  a  dozen  individual  incidents 
Loss  of,  or  danger  to,  life,  unless  other  features  are  excep 
tional,  should  take  precedence  over  every  other  particular 


Six  women  are  dead  and  ten  seriously  injured 
as  a  result  of  the  destruction  by  fire,  Tuesday 
morning,  of  the  Gold  and  Green  Club,  1818 
Chestnut  Street,  entailing  a  loss  of  $30,000. 


213.  Lists  of  Killed  or  Wounded.  —  Tn  writing  a  story 
where  a  number  of  persons  have  been  killed  or  injured,  the 
reporter  should  observe  the  following  directions: 

1.  Separate  the  names  of  the  dead  from  those  of  the  in- 
jured, putting  the  list  of  dead  first. 

2.  Record  the  names  in  alphabetical  order,  placing  sur- 
names first. 

3.  Put  each  name,  with  the  age,  address,  occupation  or 
business,  nature  and  extent  of  the  injury,  and  any  care  given, 
in  a  separate  paragraph. 

4.  Underscore  the  names  with  wave  lines  so  that  they 
shall  be  printed  in  display  type. 


BOYS   SMOKE  IN   HAYLOFT 

Three  boys  borrowed  their  father's  pipes  and 
took  their  first  lesson  in  smoking  yesterday  in 
John  Cadie's  hayloft  on  the  Anton  road. 

The  Dead 

Heinie  Pindle,  8  years  old,  charred  body  found 
in  ashes  of  the  barn. 

The  Injured 

Olin  Swendson,  9  years  old,  burned  about  face 
and  arms  while  trying  to  save  Heinie  Pindle. 

Ben  Adams,  9  years  old,  leg  broken  in  jump 
from  the  hayloft. 


214.  Acts  of  Heroism.  —  Acts  of  heroism  involving  dangei 
to  or  loss  of  life  are  always  good  for  features. 


ACCIDENT,  CRIME 


Remaining  at  her  post  through  the  thick  of 
the  fire  that  destroyed  the  heart  of  Necedah  to- 
day, Wisconsin's  only  woman  telephone  mag- 
nate, Miss  Hazel  Bulgar,  proved  the  heroine 
of  the  day.  While  the  flames  threatened  her 
building,  she  took  the  switchboard  herself, 
called  the  fire  departments  of  all  neighboring 
cities,  and  transmitted  calls  for  help. 

215.  Remarkable  Escapes.  —  Remarkable  escapes  from 
burning  buildings,  in  their  appeal  to  the  elemental  struggle 
for  life,  make  valuable  features. 

Using  a  window  blind  and  a  single  thread  of 
telephone  wire  as  a  means  of  escape,  Carl  Hardi- 
man,  24,  216  Northcliff  avenue,  swung  himself 
into  space  four  stories  above  the  level  of  the 
street  at  8:00  o'clock  this  morning  and  crawled 
hand  over  hand  from  the  burning  wax  factory 
to  a  telephone  pole  across  the  street. 

216.  Humorous,  Pathetic,  or  Daring  Incidents.  —  Humor- 
ous, pathetic,  or  daring  incidents  are  worth  featuring  strongly, 
particularly  when  they  involve  children,  aged  persons,  or 

animals. 

Tige,  aged  4,  was  only  a  collie  dog,  but  he 
will  have  the  biggest  funeral  to-morrow  ever 
given  a  member  of  the  Lilliman  family.  He 
dragged  two  of  the  children  out  of  the  blazing 
kitchen  at  487  Birmingham  avenue  and  was  so 
badly  burned  trying  to  save  the  nine  months 
baby,  Dan,  that  he  died  this  morning.  Every 
hair  was  burned  from  his  body. 

Just  inside  the  front  entrance,  within  six 
inches  of  God's  fresh  air  and  life,  the  bodies  of 
21  girls,  ranging  in  age  from  6  to  18  years,  were 
found  this  morning  after  the  fire  that  destroyed 
the  St.  Patrick's  Girls'  school. 

217.  Cause  of  Fire.  —  The  cause  of  the  fire,  if  unusual 
or  mysterious,  may  be  featured. 

A  set  of  cotton  Santa  Glaus  whiskers  and  a 
Christmas  candle  caused  the  death  Wednesday 


152  TYPES  OF  STORIES 

night  of  Allen  Palmer,  18,  1416  Magnolia  Ave- 
nue, and  the  destruction  by  fire  of  the  Lake 
Mills  Methodist  church. 

218.  Buildings  or  Property.  —  The  particular  buildings, 
if  especially  valuable  by  reason  of  their  age,  location,  or  cost 
of  construction,  may  be  features. 

Historic  Grace  Episcopal  Church  in  South 
Wabash  Avenue,  considered  one  of  the  finest 
examples  of  French  Gothic  architecture  in 
the  city  since  it  was  erected  nearly  fifty  years 
ago,  was  destroyed  to-day  in  a  fire  that  did 
damage  estimated  at  $500,000. 

The  main  building  of  the  Union  Switch  and 
Signal  Company,  of  the  Westinghouse  interests, 
at  Swissvale,  where  thousands  of  shells  have 
been  manufactured  for  the  Allies,  was  swept  by 
fire  this  afternoon,  entailing  a  loss  estimated  at 
$4,000,000.  Officials  of  the  company  said  that 
the  origin,  of  the  fire  had  not  been  determined. 

219.  Other  Features.  —  Similarly,  one  may  feature  any 
one  of  a  number  of  other  particulars:   as,  the  occupants  of 
the  building,  the  owners,  any  prominent  persons  involved, 
the  amount  and  character  of  the  damage,  the  amount  of 
insurance,  how  the  fire  was  discovered,  how  it  spread,  when 
the  alarm  was  given,  the  promptness  or  delay  of  the  fire 
department,   etc.     Any  one  of  these    particulars    may  be 
featured,  provided  it  has  unusual  importance  or  interest. 

220.  Body  of  the  Fire  Story.  --The  body  of  the  fire  story 
may  continue  with  such  of  the  details  enumerated  in  the 
preceding  paragraphs  as  are  not  used  in  the  lead.     Some- 
where in  the  story  the  extent  of  the  damage  and  the  amount 
of  insurance  should  be  given.     Those  are  sufficiently  im- 
portant particulars  to  be  included  always.     Greater  emphasis 
and  action  can  be  given  the  story,  particularly  in  case  of  loss 
of  life  or  great  damage,  by  quoting  direct  statements  of 
eye-witnesses  or  of  persons  injured.     A  janitor's  account  of 
how  the  fire  started,  or  how  he  discovered  it,  or  a  woman's 


ACCIDENT,  CRIME  153 

story  of  how  she  knew  the  night  before  that  something 
terrible  was  going  to  happen,  always  adds  greatly  to  the 
interest. 

221.  Rumors  at  Fires.  —  In  reporting  a  fire,  however, 
particularly  a  big  one,  the  reporter  should  guard  against 
the  wild  rumors  about  the  extent  of  the  loss,  the  number  of 
persons  injured  or  burned  to  death,  the  certainty  of  arson, 
etc.,  which  usually  gain  currency  among  the  spectators. 
Such  stories  are  always  exaggerated,  and  they  account  for 
the  fact  that  first  news  accounts  of  fires  are  frequently  over- 
drawn.    The  reporter  should  never   take  such  stories  at 
their  face  value,  but  should  investigate  for  himself  until  he 
knows  his  details  are  accurate.     Or  if  he  cannot  prove  them 
either  false  or  true,  he  should  omit  them  entirely  or  record 
them  as  mere  rumors.     Above  all,  he  must  keep  his  head. 
With  the  hundreds  —  sometimes  thousands  —  of  spectators 
pushed  beyond  the  fire  lines,  the  roar  of  fire  engines,  the 
scream  of  whistles,  the  wild  lights,  and  the  general  pan- 
demonium, it  is  often  difficult  to  remain  calm.     Yet  it  is 
only  by  keeping  absolutely  cool  that  one  can  judge  accurately 
the  value  of  the  information  obtained  and  can  put  that  in- 
formation into  the  best  news  form.     Only  the  reporter  who 
at  all  times  retains  entire  possession  of  himself  is  able  to 
write  the  most  forceful,  interesting,  and  readable  fire  stories. 

222.  Accident  Stories  in  General.  —  Accident  stories  in 
general  follow  the  same  constructive  plans  as  those  given 
for  fires.    The  lead  should  play  up  the  number  of  lives  lost 
or  endangered,  the  cause  of  the  accident,  the  extent  of  the 
damage  or  injury,  the  time,  and  the  place,  answering  the 
questions  who,  what,  when,  where,  why,  and  how.     Any  one 
of  these  may  be  featured  according  to  its  importance.     If 
a  number  of  persons  have  been  killed  or  hurt,  and  their  names 
are  obtainable,  a  list  of  the  dead  and  the  injured  should  be 
made  as  indicated  on  page  1 50.     Then  the  body  of  the  story 
may  continue  in  simple  chronological  order,  reserving  un- 


154  TYPES  OF  STORIES 

important  details  until  the  last.  The  following  is  a  good 
illustration  of  an  accident  story: 

DU  PONT  BLAST   KILLS   31 

Wilmington,  Del.,  Nov.  29.  -  Thirty-one 
men  were  killed  and  six  fatally  injured  to-day 
hi  an  explosion  of  approximately  four  tons  of 
black  powder  hi  a  packing  house  at  the  Upper 
Hagley  yard  of  the  E.  I.  du  Pont  de  Nemours 
&  Co.,  on  Brandywine  Creek,  three  miles  north 
of  this  city. 

The  cause  of  the  explosion  in  not  known.  One 
official  says,  "  There  is  not  a  thread  on  which  to 
hang  any  hope  that  the  origin  will  be  definitely 
ascertained." 

After  the  blast,  termed  the  worst  in  the  last 
twenty-five  years,  it  was  recalled  that  notices 
recently  had  been  tacked  on  trees  and  fences 
near  the  yards,  and  even  on  fences  within  the 
plant,  warning  workmen  to  quit  the  mills  by 
Jan.  i.  At  the  time,  the  posting  of  the  notices 
was  believed  to  be  an  attempt  by  German  sym- 
pathizers to  intimidate  the  men.  Extra  guards 
were  ordered  about  the  plants  and  the  United 
States  Secret  Service  began  an  investigation,  it 
was  reported. 

Du  Pont  Company  officials  have  ordered  a 
searching  investigation,  and  every  employee 
who  was  near  the  destroyed  building  will  be  put 
through  an  examination  in  an  effort  to  get  some 
clue  as  to  the  cause  of  the  explosion.  .  .  . 1 

It  is  worth  noting,  in  this  story,  the  shrewdness  with  which 
the  reporter  plays  up  the  probable  cause  of  the  accident, 
adding  to  the  actual  facts  and  promising  possible  further 
developments  in  to-morrow's  paper. 

223.  Stories  of  the  Weather.  —  The  weather  takes  its 
place  in  the  accident  division  of  news  stories  because  of  its 
frequent  harmful  effects  on  life  and  property.  Men's  pur- 
suits are  all  a  gamble  on  the  weather.  Usually  a  story  about 
the  weather  depends  for  its  value  largely  on  the  felicity  of 
its  language,  though  when  there  has  been  severe  atmospheric 

1  New  York  World,  December  i,  1915. 


ACCIDENT,   CRIME  155 

disturbance,  resulting  in  loss  of  life,  destruction  of  property, 
or  delayed  traffic,  a  simple  narrative  of  events  is  sufficient 
to  hold  the  reader's  attention.  The  following  are  different 
types  of  weather  story,  the  first  being  of  the  pure  accident 
type,  the  second,  of  the  more  commonplace  daily  routine. 

TERRIFIC   STORM   KILLS   4 

Rain,  hail,  snow,  sleet,  gales,  thunder  and 
lightning  combined  in  an  extraordinary  manner 
early  yesterday  to  give  New  York  one  of  the 
most  peculiar  storms  the  city  ever  experienced. 
Four  persons  died  and  scores  were  injured.  Un- 
finished buildings  were  blown  down,  roofs  were 
blown  off,  and  signs  demolished. 

The  storm  played  havoc  with  the  railroads, 
delaying  trains  and  adding  to  the  difficulty  of 
moving  freight.  It  made  so  much  trouble  for 
the  New  Haven  that  the  company  last  night 
issued  a  notice  saying  that  "on  account  of  storms 
and  accumulation  of  loaded  cars"  only  live 
stock,  perishable  freight,  food  products,  and 
coal  would  be  carried  over  portions  of  the  line. 

Adrift  in  the  gale,  fifteen  canal  barges  and 
cargo  scows  from  South  Amboy,  N.  J.,  went 
ashore  at  Sandy  Hook  after  those  on  board, 
including  twenty  women  and  children,  had 
suffered  from  exposure  and  one  man  washed 
overboard  from  the  barge  Henrietta  had  been 
drowned.  The  California  and  the  Stockholm, 
with  passengers  on  board  and  inbound,  were 
delayed  by  the  storm  and  will  reach  port  to-day. 

The  wind  in  Newark  unroofed  the  almshouse, 
injuring  two  aged  women,  blew  down  buildings, 
smashed  windows,  and  crippled  the  entire  wire 
service  of  the  city.  .  .  .  l 

(Then  follows  a  detailed  account  of  the  dead, 
the  injured,  and  the  delay  of  traffic.) 

COLD   WAVE   ON  WAY  HERE 

Indianapolis  to-day  stands  on  the  brink  be- 
tween rain  and  snow.  Before  to-morrow  dawns 

1  New  York  Herald,  December  27,  1915. 


156  TYPES  OF  STORIES 


it  may  bend  slightly  one  way  or  the  other,  me- 
teorologically speaking,  and  the  result  will  be  little 
flakes  of  snow  or  little  drops  of  water.  It  is 
forecast  that  to-morrow  its  feet  will  slip  entirely 
and  it  will  be  plunged  into  the  abyss  of  cold 
weather.  The  forecast  is  the  work  of  the  weather 
man,  who  has  some  reputation  locally  and  else- 
where as  a  forecaster  of  questionable  accuracy. 

Cold  weather  is  drifting  this  way  on  northwest 
winds,  says  the  weather  man,  and  soon  will  be 
hard  by  in  the  offing,  ready  to  pounce  on  Indian- 
apolis. The  fate  of  Indianapolis  is  to  be  the  fate 
of  Indiana  also,  and  of  the  entire  Middle  West, 
for  the  weather  man  is  no  respecter  of  localities, 
and  when  he  once  gets  started  forecasts  with  utter 
abandon.  .  .  . 

The  Northwest  has  experienced  a  drop  of  20 
degrees  in  temperature  and  the  cold  wave  is 
rapidly  sweeping  this  way.  It  is  due  to  reach 
Indianapolis  to-morrow  morning.  The  local 
forecast  is  for  cloudy  to-night  and  Wednesday, 
with  probabilities  of  rain  or  snow,  and  colder 
Wednesday.  It  was  the  same  for  the  state,  but 
rain  was  predicted  for  the  south  part  and  snow 
for  the  north. 

The  temperature  in  Indianapolis  at  7  o'clock 
this  morning  was  38  degrees;  a  drop  of  6  degrees 
being  recorded  in  the  last  twenty-four  hours. 
The  coming  cold  wave  is  expected  to  give  this  part 
of  the  country  its  first  real  touch  of  winter.  The 
temperature  hovered  near  the  zero  mark  in  the 
northwest.  The  weather  bureau  reported  snow 
in  Wyoming,  Colorado,  Nebraska,  Iowa,  and 
Minnesota.1 


To  write  this  second  type  of  story  interestingly  means 
that  the  reporter  must  exert  himself  especially,  since  the 
daily  routine  of  weather  reports  soon  becomes  wearing  in 
its  monotony,  —  so  much  so  that  one  finds  it  exceedingly 
difficult  to  present  with  any  degree  of  originality  the  same 
old  little-varying  facts  from  day  to  day.  Yet  one's  readers 
are  always  interested  in  just  this  item  of  news,  and  one  can 


Indianapolis  News,  October  28,  1913. 


ACCIDENT,  CRIME  157 

be  sure  of  more  expectant  readers  for  this  particular  story 
than  perhaps  for  any  other  single  item  in  the  paper. 

224.  Deaths    and    Funerals.  —  Stories    of    deaths    and 
funerals  may  be  included  in  the  monotonous  class  of  accident 
news.     There  is  this  additional  difficulty  in  writing  death 
and  funeral  stories,  however,  that  in  attempting  to  write 
sympathetically,  appreciatively,  of  the  person  who  has  died, 
and  so  meet  the  expectations  of  surviving  friends  and  rela- 
tives, one  is  running  always  on  the  border  line  of  bathos. 
It  is  probably  easier  to  make  oneself  ridiculous  in  such  stories 
than  in  any  other  kind  of  news  article.     As  a  result,  most 
newspapers  require  their  reporters  to  confine  themselves  to 
bare  statements  of  facts  concerning  the  dead  person's  life. 

225.  Content  of  Death  Stories.  --There  are  a  few  facts 
which  all  death  stories  should  contain.     The  person's  name, 
age,  street  address,  and  position  or  business  should  normally 
be  included  in  the  lead,  with  possibly  a  statement  of  the 
cause  of  his  death.    The  duration  of  his  illness  may  well 
follow.    Then  may  come  the  names  of  surviving  relatives 
and  any  relationships  with  persons  well  known,  locally  or 
nationally.     If  the  person  is  married,  the  date  of  the  mar- 
riage, the  maiden  name  of  the  wife,  and  any  interesting 
circumstances  connected  with  the  marriage  may  be  recalled. 
The  length  of  residence  in  the  city  should  also  be  included, 
with  possibly  a  statement  of  the  person's  birthplace  and 
the  occasion  of  his  settlement  in  the  city.     If  the  person  is 
a  man  or  a  woman  of  wealth,  an  account  of  his  or  her  holdings 
and  how  they  were  acquired  is  always  interesting.     The 
story  may  close  with  the  names  of  the  pallbearers,  the  time 
and  place  of  the  funeral,  the  name  of  the  minister  officiating, 
and  the  place  of  burial.     The  following  story  of  the  death 
of  Justice  Lamar,  while  not  observing  the  order  of  events 
just  given,  is  an  excellent  illustration  of  a  dignified  presenta- 
tion of  the  facts  in  a  man's  life.     (The  article  has  necessarily 
been  abbreviated  because  of  its  length.) 


158 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


JUSTICE    J.   R.   LAMAR   DIES 

Washington,  D.  C.,  Sunday.  -  -  Mr.  Joseph 
Rucker  Lamar,  Associate  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States,  died  to-night  at  his 
home  in  this  city  after  an  intermittent  illness  of 
several  months.  The  immediate  cause  of  his 
death  was  a  severe  cold,  which  he  contracted  ten 
days  ago,  and  which  proved  too  great  a  strain 
for  his  weakened  heart. 

Justice  Lamar's  health  began  to  fail  early  last 
summer  and  he  was  obliged  to  absent  himself 
from  his  duties  on  the  bench.  His  physicians 
advised  a  long  period  of  rest,  as  they  feared  that 
over-work  would  seriously  affect  the  action  of 
his  heart.  Accordingly,  he  spent  the  greater 
part  of  the  summer  at  White  Sulphur  Springs  and 
returned  to  Washington  about  two  months  ago 
feelingv  much  improved. 

His  condition  was  not  such,  however,  that  it 
permitted  him  to  attend  the  sessions  of  the  Court, 
although  he  was  able  to  take  outdoor  exercise. 
Two  days  before  Christmas  he  contracted  a 
heavy  cold  and  was  obliged  to  go  to  bed.  Special- 
ists were  consulted,  but  he  gradually  grew  weaker 
until  this  afternoon,  when  he  sank  into  uncon- 
sciousness and  passed  away  peacefully  just  before 
nine  o'clock. 

At  his  bedside  when  the  end  came  were  Mrs. 
Lamar  and  their  two  sons.  Chief  Justice  White 
arrived  at  the  Lamar  home  within  a  few  minutes 
after  the  death  of  his  colleague. 

The  funeral  ceremonies  will  be  in  accordance 
with  the  custom  of  the  court.  It  is  probable  that 
the  services  will  be  held  on  Tuesday  and  that  in- 
terment will  be  at  the  family  home  in  Ruckers- 
ville,  Ga. 

Justice  Lamar  was  born  at  Ruckersville,  Elbert 
county,  Ga.,  on  October  14,  1857,  the  son  of  the 
Rev.  James  S.  and  Mary  Rucker  Lamar.  He  at- 
tended the  University  of  Georgia.  He  was 
graduated  from  Bethany  College,  West  Virginia, 
in  1877.  After  a  year  hi  the  Washington  and 
Lee  University  Law  School,  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  at  Augusta,  Ga.  There  he  lived  until  ap- 
pointed to  the  Supreme  Court. 

He  was  a  cousin  of  the  late  Associate  Justice 


ACCIDENT,  CRIME 


159 


L.  Q.  C.  Lamar,  of  Mississippi,  who  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  from 
1888  to  1893. 

When  Justice  Lamar  went  on  the  Supreme 
Court  bench  he  was  little  known  beyond  the 
borders  of  his  own  state.  Mr.  Taft  became  ac- 
quainted with  him  a  short  tune  before  his  in- 
auguration when  the  President-elect  was  playing 
golf  at  Augusta.  Justice  Lamar  had  been  a 
member  of  the  Supreme  Court  only  a  few  months, 
however,  when  his  ability  was  recognized.  His 
opinions  were  regarded  as  masterpieces  of  logical 
reasoning  and  applications  for  rehearings  were 
made  in  few  cases  he  helped  to  decide. 

Justice  Lamar  was  selected  by  President 
Wilson  as  the  principal  commissioner  for  the 
United  States  in  the  ABC  mediation  at  Niagara 
Falls  in  1914  between  this  country  and  Mexico 
over  conditions  in  the  neighboring  republic. 

Justice  Lamar  made  many  notable  contribu- 
tions to  the  legal  literature  of  his  state.  Among 
them  were  "  Georgia's  Contribution  to  Law  Re- 
forms," "A  History  of  the  Organization  of  the 
Supreme  Court,"  "Life  of  Judge  Nesbit"  and 
"A  Century's  Progress  in  Law."  More  than  two 
hundred  of  his  opinions  are  embraced  in  six 
volumes  of  Georgia  Reports. 

Justice  Lamar  married,  on  January  30,  1879, 
Miss  Clarinda  Pendleton,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  W. 
K.  Pendleton,  president  of  Bethany  College. 
He  is  survived  by  his  wife  and  two  children, 
Philip  Rucker  Lamar  and  William  Pendleton 
Lamar.1 

226.  Obtaining  the  Information.  -  -  The  gaining  of  infor- 
mation about  a  man  who  has  just  died  is  not  difficult.  One 
should  be  cautioned,  however,  against  seeking  details  from 
members  of  the  family.  If  the  person  is  of  little  prominence, 
one  should  go  first  to  the  undertaker.  He  will  have  all  the 
details  about  the  funeral  —  the  names  of  the  pallbearers 
and  of  the  minister,  the  time  and  place  of  the  funeral,  the 
place  of  burial  —  and  probably  all  the  facts  about  the  per- 
son's life  that  the  family  wishes  made  public.  If  the  under- 

1  New  York  Herald,  January  3,  1916. 


i6o 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


taker  does  not  have  this  information,  he  will  be  able  to  tell 
the  reporter  from  whom  it  may  be  obtained.  Additional 
facts  may  sometimes  be  had  from  the  county  and  state 
directories,  and  even  from  the  city  directory.  Old  residents 
or  close  friends,  too,  often  are  able  to  give  interesting  de- 
tails about  the  person's  life,  his  failures  and  his  successes, 
and  in  this  way  a  reporter  can  publish  an  appreciative  ac- 
count without  editorializing  on  the  man's  accomplishments. 
If  the  one  who  has  died  is  of  decided  prominence,  the  reporter 
can  find  accounts  of  him  in  the  various  Who's  Who  volumes 
and  probably  a  rather  full  obituary  all  ready  in  the  morgue. 
One  must  be  careful  in  using  the  morgue  write-up,  however, 
to  bridge  naturally  and  easily  the  gap  between  the  new  and 
the  old  material,  so  that  the  reader  shall  not  suspect  he  is 
reading  a  story  partly  written  years  ago.  The  following 
is  an  illustration  of  poor  coherence  between  the  two  parts: 

Paris,  August  12.  —  Pol  Plancon,  the  opera 
singer,  died  to-day.    He  had  been  ill  since  June. 


Pol  Plancon  was  a  bass  singer  and  made  his 
Paris  debut  in  the  part  of  Mephistopheles  in  1883. 
He  came  to  the  Metropolitan  Opera  house  in 
New  York  hi  1893,  where  he  sang  with  Melba, 
Calve,  Eames,  Nordica  and  Jean  and  Edouard 
de  Reszke.  Plancon  sang  for  many  years  at 
Covent  Garden,  London.  .  .  . 

In  this  case  it  is  too  obvious  that  the  first  two  sentences 
constitute  the  bare  cable  bulletin  and  that  the  second  para 
graph  is  the  beginning  of  the  morgue  story. 

227.   Crime  Lead.  —  In  the  lead  to  a  crime  story,  one  ma] 
feature  either  the  names  of  the  persons  involved,  the  numbe 
of  lives  lost  or  endangered,  the  motive  of  the  criminal,  the 
nature  of  the  crime,  clues  leading  to  the  identification  and 
arrest  of  the  criminal,  possible  effects  of  the  crime,  or  eve 
public  sentiment  resulting  from  the  deed.     Of  the  possibl 
leads,  probably  the  names  of  the  persons  involved,  eith 


ACCIDENT,  CRIME 


161 


of  the  criminal  or  of  those  whose  rights  were  infringed,  are 
most  often  played  up.     Thus: 


Leo  M.  Frank  was  lynched  two  miles  outside 
of  Marietta,  the  home  of  Mary  Phagan,  at  an 
early  hour  this  morning. 


Mrs.  Allie  Detmann,  1409  Broad  St.,  was  shot 
and  killed  yesterday  by  Stanley  Mouldan,  1516 
Philadelphia  Ave.  The  man  then  shot  himself 
in  the  right  temple,  dying  an  hour  later  in  St. 
Elizabeth's  Hospital. 


The  other  features,  however,  may  be  found  at  random  in 
any  paper.     Illustrations  are: 


Two  women  are  dead  at  the  Good  Shepherd's 
Rest  because  Pat  Nicke  kept  the  back  door  of 
his  saloon  open  on  election  day. 

To  get  money  to  pay  for  his  grandmother's 
funeral,  Robert  Hollyburd,  24,  1917  Monaco  St., 
yesterday  robbed  the  cash  register  of  the  "Len- 
gerke  Brothers,  sporting  goods  dealers,  at  1654 
Bradley  St. 

The  most  brutal  murder  ever  committed  in 
Galloway  county  was  discovered  at  an  early  hour 
this  morning  when  the  body  of  Dr.  Otis  Bennett, 
literally  hacked  to  pieces,  was  found  in  the  base- 
ment of  his  home. 

The  Davenport  police  have  in  then*  possession 
a  large  bone-handled  knife  which  has  been  identi- 
fied as  the  property  of  Hugo  O'Neal,  colored,  of 
Cushman.  The  knife  was  found  under  Col. 
Andrew  Alton's  bedroom  window  after  an  at- 
tempted robbery  of  his  home  at  an  early  hour 
this  morning.  O'Neal  has  not  been  seen  since 
yesterday. 

Tim  Atkins  is  probably  dying  at  his  shanty  on 
Davis  Street  as  a  result  of  a  difficulty  between 
him  and  Isom  Werner  over  a  woman  they  met 
on  their  way  home  from  the  circus  last  night. 


Number 
of  Lives 
Lost 

Motive 


Nature  of 
the  Crime 


Clues 


Results 


162  TYPES  OF  STORIES 

228.  Body  of  the  Crime  Story.  —  The  body  of  the  crime 
story,  like  that  of  the  accident,  follows  the  lead  in  a  simple 
chronological  narration  of  events.     Interest  may  be  added 
by   quoting   direct   statements   from   persons   immediately 
connected  with  the  crime,  —  how  it  feels  to  be  held  up,  how 
the  robber  gained  entrance  to  the  building,  how  the  bandits 
escaped.     In  stories  of  burglaries  and  robberies  the  value 
of  the  stolen  goods  and  any  ingenious  devices  for  gaining 
entrance  to  the  house,  stopping  the  train,  or  halting  the 
robbed  party  should  always  be  given.    It  may  be  added  that, 
unless  the  purpose  is  entirely  obvious,  as  in  robberies  and 
burglaries,  due  emphasis  should  be  given  to  the  motive  for 
the  crime.     One  should  be  on  one's  guard,  however,  against 
accepting  readily  any  motive  assigned.     The  star  reporter 
never  takes  anybody  at  his  word  —  the  police,  the  detec- 
tives, or  even  the  victims  —  in  any  statement  where  crime 
is   involved.    He  investigates  for  himself  and  draws  his 
own  conclusions. 

229.  Caution    against    Libel.  —  An    additional    caution 
should  be  added  here  against  libel,  because  of  the  strong 
temptation  always  to  make  an  accused  person  guilty  before 
he  has  been  adjudged  so.    According  to  American  law,  a 
person  suspected  of  or  charged  with  crime  is  innocent  until 
he  has  been  proved  guilty.     In  writing  crime  stories,  there- 
fore, the  reporter  must  be  doubly  careful  to  have  a  supposed 
criminal  merely  "  suspected "  of  misappropriating  funds,  or 
"alleged"  to  have  made  the  assault,  or  "said  by  the  police" 
to  have  entered  the  house.     And  in  order  to  present  an  un- 
biased story,  the  side  of  the  supposed  malefactor  should  be 
given.    In  the  intense  excitement  resulting  from  a  newly 
committed  crime,  or  in  the  squalid  surroundings  of  a  prison 
cell,  an  accused  person  does  not  appear  to  his  best  advantage, 
and  it  is  easy  for  the  reporter  to  let  prejudice  sway  him,  per- 
haps causing  irreparable  injury  to  innocent  persons.     The 
race  riot  in  Atlanta,  in  1905,  in  which  numbers  of  innocent 


ACCIDENT,  CRIME 


163 


negroes  were  murdered,  was  a  direct  result  of  exaggerated 
and  sensational  stories  of  crime  printed  by  yellow  newspapers. 
And  the  whole  long  trial  and  verdict  against  Leo  M.  Frank 
were  directly  affected  by  the  same  papers.  If  the  opinion 
of  readers  is  to  be  appealed  to,  the  reporter  should  leave 
such  appeals  to  the  editorial  writers,  whose  duty  it  is  to  in- 
terpret the  news  and  sway  the  public  whenever  they  will 
or  can.  The  reporter's  duty,  as  far  as  possible,  is  to  present 
mere  facts. 


XVI.    SPORTS 

230.  Slang.  —  In  writing  stories  of  athletic  meets  and 
games  the  reporter  will  find  that  in  matters  of  language  he 
has  almost  complete  freedom.  For  this  there  are  two  reasons: 
the  fact  that  it  is  necessary  half  the  time  to  get  final  results 
of  contests  into  print  within  a  few  seconds  or  minutes  after 
the  outcome  has  been  decided,  and  the  fact  that  athletic 
devotees  —  "fans"  in  American  slang  —  are  not  naturally 
critical.  Tirrie  is  the  all-important  element  with  them. 
The  results  of  a  baseball  game  are  wanted  within  a  few  sec- 
onds after  the  last  man  has  been  put  out  in  the  final  inning. 
Whether  the  writer  says  the  Red  Sox  defeated  the  Tigers, 
or  nosed  them  out  in  the  ninth,  or  handed  them  a  lemon, 
means  little  to  the  followers  of  the  game  provided  the  in- 
formation is  specifically  conveyed  that  Boston  beat  Detroit. 
Slang  is  freely  used,  —  so  much  so  that  the  uninitiated 
frequently  cannot  understand  an  account  of  a  game.  The 
"fans"  can,  however,  and  they  constitute  the  public  for 
whom  reporters  on  the  sporting  pages  maintain  they  are 
writing.  If,  then,  one  can  brighten  up  his  sporting  stories  - 
make  them  sparkling,  electric,  galvanic  —  by  using  slang, 
he  will  find  them  acceptable  to  any  editor.  The  only  cau- 
tion to  the  beginner  is  that  he  must  be  sure  every  detail  is 
clear  to  the  "fans."  Slang  can  easily  be  overdone,  — much 
more  easily  than  one  would  suppose,  —  with  the  result  that 
an  otherwise  good  story  is  choked  with  near  humorous, 
foggy  jargon.  Better  no  slang  than  a  story  cloyed  with  it.1 

1  It  is  the  belief  of  the  author  that  the  sporting  page  has  not  yet  reached  its 
highest  level  of  language  and  that  the  younger  of  us  will  live  to  see  as  pure 
English  used  on  the  sporting  page  as  in  the  other  news  columns.  The  purpose 
of  this  volume,  however,  is  not  to  present  the  work  of  the  reporter  as  it  ought 


SPORTS  165 

231.  Four  Kinds.  —  An   examination   of   sporting   news 
stories  shows  four  kinds:    (i)  those  dealing  with  athletic 
events   before   their   occurrence;     (2)  those   reporting   the 
events;    (3)  those  analyzing  and  explaining  the  events  and 
their  results;   and  (4)  those  dealing  with  the  sport  in  gen- 
eral.    The  second  of  these,  the  story  reporting  an  athletic 
event,  is  not  unlike  the  types  of  news  stories  examined  in 
the  two  preceding  chapters  and  may  be  discussed  first, 
reserving  for  later  analysis  the  other  three  because  of  their 
divergence  from  the  normal  type  of  news  article. 

232.  The  Lead.  —  The  lead  to  a  story  reporting  an  athletic 
event  follows  with  few  exceptions  the  same  general  principles 
as  the  leads  already  examined.     Unlike  those  studied  in  the 
preceding  chapters,  however,  the  lead  to  such  a  story  often 
is  written  last,  because  of  the  necessity  of  writing  a  running 
account  of  the  game  as  it  progresses,  yet  of  giving  final  re- 
sults in  the  lead.      The  feature  most  frequently  played  up 
is  the  final  result,  with  additional  mention  of  the  causes 
of  victory  or  defeat,  the  equality  or  inequality  of  the  oppos- 
ing players,  and  any  important  incidents.     Always  too,  of 
course,  the  names  of  the  teams,  the  time,  and  the  place  are 
given.     But  the  score  is  regularly  the  feature,  —  so  much  so 
that  if  one  is  in  doubt  about  what  to  feature  in  an  athletic 
contest,  one  can  always  play  a  trump  card  by  featuring  the 
results.    Thus: 

One  hit  and  one  score  was  all  the  Senators 
could  make  off  the  Yankees  at  Washington  this 
afternoon,  but  that  was  enough.  Joe  Gedeon 
made  the  hit,  a  three  bagger,  and  Milan  passed 
him  home  when  he  dropped  Nunamacher's  high 
fly  to  center. 

A  tie  score  was  the  best  the  Maroons  could  do 
for  the  Hoosiers  Saturday  on  Marshall  Field. 
The  count  was  7-7  when  Umpire  Hanson  called 

to  be,  but  as  it  is  —  a  fact  which  accounts  for  the  above  paragraph  and  its 
recommendation  of  the  use  of  slang  in  sporting  news  stories. 


i66 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


the  game  in  the  eleventh  inning  on  account  of 
darkness. 


233.  Names  of  the  Teams.  —  Almost  as  frequent  is  the 
featuring  of  the  names  of  the  opposing  teams,  with  the  final 
score  included  at  the  end  of  the  lead. 


Cornell's  1915  football  team  wrote  its  name 
in  football  history  in  blazing  letters  on  Franklin 
Field  this  afternoon  when  at  the  end  of  one  of  the 
most  stirring  contests  ever  seen  on  that  gridiron 
the  Scoreboard  read:  Cornell,  24;  Pennsylvania, 
9- 


234.  Cause  of  Victory  or  Defeat.  —  The  cause  of  a  team's 
victory  or  defeat  often  makes  an  effective  feature  for  the  lead. 

With  the  aid  of  a  bewildering  assortment  of 
plays,  the  Syracuse  University  football  team  de- 
feated the  Oregon  Agricultural  College  here 
to-day,  28  to  o. 

Inability  to  hit,  coupled  with  poor  iielding  at 
critical  moments,  caused  the  defeat  of  the  New 
York  University  nine  by  the  Stevens  Institute  of 
Technology  yesterday  on  Ohio  Field.  The  score 
was  5  to  3. 

235.  Individual    Players.  —  Stellar    work    by    individual 
players  —  even  poor  work  when  responsible  for  the  loss  of 
the  game  —  often  makes  necessary  the  featuring  of  their 

names. 

Jim  Thorpe  and  George  Kelly  led  an  assault 
on  the  Dallas  pitchers  this  afternoon  while  Pol 
Perritt  and  Fred  Schupp  were  baffling  the  local 
talent  at  home  plate.  The  net  result  was  a 
shutout  for  Dallas  and  five  runs  for  New  York. 

Wildness  on  the  part  of  Foster  and  timely 
hitting  by  Oldring  and  Strunk  enabled  Philadel- 
phia to  defeat  Boston  again  to-day,  the  score 
being  6  to  2. 

236.  Other  Features.  —  Even  the  kind  of  weather,  th 


SPORTS 


167 


condition  of  the  grounds,  the  size  of  the  crowd,  or  the  effect 
of  the  play  on  the  crowd  may  be  featured: 


High  winds  and  bad  light  made  the  marks- 
manship poor  at  the  local  shoot  yesterday,  the 
best  score  being  a  93,  made  by  Lawrence  Bowen. 

The  annual  football  game  between  Lawrence 
and  Beloit  yesterday,  resulting  in  a  14  to  6  vic- 
tory for  Lawrence,  might  better  have  been  called 
an  aquatic  meet.  The  best  swimmers  won. 

Fifty-nine  thousand  football  fans  saw  the 
warriors  of  Old  Eli  take  the  Tiger's  pelt  yester- 
day at  New  Haven.  The  count  was  13  to  7. 

A  disgusted  crowd  of  8,000  Sunday  baseball 
fans  saw  the  Brewers  lose  to  the  Colonels  yester- 
day, 2  to  14. 


The 
Weather 

Condition 
of  Grounds 


Size  of  the 
Crowd 


Effect  on 
the  Crowd 


It  will  be  noted  in  these  leads  that  the  final  score,  while  not 
always  featured,  is  nevertheless  always  included. 

237.  The  Body.  -  -  The  bodies  of  stories  reporting  athletic 
contests  are  all  but  unlimited  in  their  methods  of  ^handling, 
depending  on  the  nature  of  the  sport  and  the  length  of  the 
story.  If  the  sporting  editor  has  limited  the  reporter  to 
two  sticks,  the  body  may  contain  the  lineup,  the  names  of 
the  officials,  mention  of  those  starring  or  playing  particularly 
poorly,  when  and  how  the  scoring  was  made,  the  condition 
of  the  field  and  the  weather,  and  the  size  of  the  crowd.  If 
the  editor  wants  a  fuller  report,  the  more  important  plays, 
told  chronologically,  may  be  added.  If  he  wishes  a  detailed 
account,  all  the  plays  should  be  given,  the  reporter  following 
the  chronological  order  after  a  full,  summarizing  lead.  In 
big  athletic  events,  the  sporting  editor  often  assigns  two  men, 
one  to  write  a  general  account,  the  other  a  detailed  story. 
In  such  stories  it  is  the  reporter  writing  the  general  summary 
who  compiles  the  summarizing  figures  boxed  at  the  beginning, 
giving  the  total  attendance  and  receipts  and  making  com- 
parison with  preceding  events.  A  typical  baseball  story  is 
the  following: 


i68 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


YANKS   BEAT   THE   SENATORS 

Through  some  change  of  policy  on  the  part  of 
the  concern  which  is  conducting  the  weather  this 
spring,  the  sun,  which  has  not  been  at  large  much 
in  recent  days,  was  permitted  to  shine  on  the 
Polo  Grounds  yesterday.  The  Yankees  reveled 
in  the  sunlight  and  chalked  up  their  first  victory 
of  the  season,  beating  Washington  by  a  score  of 
3  to  i.  A  crowd  of  more  than  20,000  people  left 
their  umbrellas  and  raincoats  at  home  and  sat  in 
at  the  Yankee  jubilee. 

Charley  Mullen,  one  of  the  Yanks'  utility  men, 
was  rushed  into  the  fray  hi  the  sixth  inning  as  a 
pinch  hitter  for  Wallie  Pipp.  Two  runners  were 
riding  the  bases  at  the  time,  and  when  Mullen 
flayed  a  single  to  left  he  also  propelled  Baker  and 
Gedeon  over  the  plate  with  the  two  units  which 
marked  the  margin  of  the  New  York  victory. 
The  Yankees  played  just  the  kind  of  baseball 
everybody  hoped  they  would  and  that  was  just 
a  bit  better  than  the  best  Washington  had  to 
offer. 

A  lot  of  people  from  the  Edison  Company  who 
know  First  Baseman  Judge  of  the  Washington 
club  well  enough  to  call  him  Joe,  presented  him 
with  a  diamond  ring.  Judge  used  to  play  with 
the  Edison  team  before  he  took  to  the  merry 
life  of  a  professional.  Judge  shattered  baseball 
tradition  after  modestly  taking  the  gift  by  going 
in  and  playing  a  fine  game,  fielding  well  and 
knocking  out  a  clean  hit.  Most  players  after  re- 
ceiving a  present  at  a  ball  game  can  be  counted 
on  to  strike  out. 

Among  the  more  or  less  prominent  people 
present  was  the  man  for  whom  Diogenes,  a  former 
resident  of  Greece,  has  long  been  looking.  There 
was  no  doubt  about  his  being  the  object  of  the 
quest  of  Diogenes  because  when  a  ball  was  fouled 
into  the  grand  stand  and  he  caught  it,  he  threw 
it  back  into  the  field  instead  of  hiding  it  in  his 
pocket. 

Ray  Fisher,  who  gave  up  his  life  unselfishly  to 
teaching  school  up  in  Vermont  until  he  found 
how  much  money  there  was  in  tossing  a  curved 
ball,  did  the  twirling  for  the  Yankees  and  on  the 
few  occasions  when  he  was  in  trouble  his  team- 


SPORTS 


169 


mates  came  to  his  support  like  a  rich  uncle.  In 
the  fourth  inning  it  looked  as  if  Fisher  was  about 
to  take  the  elevator  for  the  thirty-sixth  floor,  but 
Frank  Baker  came  to  his  aid  and  yanked  him 
out  of  trouble. 

It  was  this  way:  Judge,  first  man  up  in  the 
fourth,  singled  to  center.  Shanks  was  hit  on  the 
wrist  and  Jamieson  laid  a  bunt  half  an  inch  from 
the  third  base  line,  filling  the  bases.-  Henry  spun 
a  teaser  right  in  front  of  the  plate  and  Nuna- 
maker  made  a  quick  play  by  grabbing  the  ball 
and  forcing  Judge  out  as  he  was  about  to  score. 
The  base  line  circuit  was  still  playing  to  S.  R.  O. 
McBride  rapped  a  hopper  down  back  of  third 
base.  Baker  reached  out  his  bare  hand,  nabbed 
the  ball,  touched  third  and  forced  Jamieson. 
He  relayed  the  ball  over  to  first  in  time  to  double 
up  McBride,  and  Fisher  was  saved  from  a  serious 
attack  of  heart  failure.  That  was  only  one  of 
three  double  plays  the  Yankees  staged  for 
Fisher's  welfare. 

Harry  Harper,  a  southpaw  from  Hackensack, 
N.  J.,  pitched  for  Washington  until  the  Yankees 
went  to  the  front  in  the  sixth,  and  then  he  was 
succeeded  by  Francesco  Gallia,  who  hails  from 
Mexico  or  thereabouts. 

The  Yankees  threatened  damage  in  the  first 
inning.  After  Maisel  had  fanned,  Gilhooley 
was  safe  on  Morgan's  fumble  and  Magee  sent 
him  to  second  with  a  single.  Baker  lifted  a  high 
fly  to  right  field,  and  after  the  catch  Gilhooley 
raced  to  third  and  was  safe  by  half  an  inch. 
Gedeon  fouled  to  first  for  the  third  out. 

The  Senators  got  their  run  in  the  second. 
With  one  down,  Jamieson  was  safe  on  Baker's 
high  throw  over  first,  the  runner  traveling  to 
second.  Henry  died  at  first,  and  McBride 
punched  a  two-bagger  to  right  center,  which  sent 
Jamieson  home.  The  Yankees  tied  the  score  in 
the  next  inning,  when,  with  two  out,  Magee 
walked.  Baker  and  Gedeon  started  a  double 
steal.  It  looked  as  if  Gedeon  would  be  a  sure 
out  at  second,  but  he  got  back  to  first  safely. 
Pipp  ended  the  fun  by  fanning. 

In  the  sixth  Baker  singled  to  left,  and  Gedeon 
placed  a  Texas  leaguer  back  of  first,  which  none 
of  the  Senator  fielders  reached.  Baker  was  late 


170 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


in  starting  for  second,  and  Jamieson  made  a  bad 

throw  to  catch  him,  so 

both  runners  advanced  a 

cushion.     Mullen,  batting  for  Pipp,  cudgeled 

the  ball  to  left,  and  Baker  and  Gedeon  counted. 

That  was  all,  and  it  was  plenty  to  win.     The 

score  : 

NEW   YORK 

WASHINGTON 

ABRHPOA 

ABRHPOA 

. 

Maisel,     cf  .  3    o  o    4    o 

Morg'n,    2b.  3  o  o   3    2 

Gil'hy,      rf.  4    o  o    i    o 

Fost'r,       3b.  4  o  2    o    i 

Magee,      If.  3    12    2    o 

Milan,        cf  .  4  o  o    2    o 

Baker,     30.  31123 

Judge,       ib.  4  o  i    8    o 

Ged'n,     2b.  4    13    5    3 

Sh'nks,        If  .   3   o  o    i    o 

Pipp,       ib.  2    oo    8    o 

Jam  s'n      rf  .  4   i  i    i    o 

Mul  n,     ib.  2    01    3    o 

Henry,         c.   2   o  o    5    i 

P'k'gh,     ss.  4    oo    i    4 

M'B'de,     ss.  3   o  i    i    i 

Nu'ker,      c.  2    o  o    i    i 

Harper,       p.   2  o  i    o    i 

Fisher,       p.  3    o  o    o    2 

Wil'ms,        c.   i   o  o    3    i 



Johnson  J          i   o  o    o    o 

Total          10  3  7  27  ii 

Total      .     31  i  6  24    7 

1  Batted   for   Gallia   in 

ninth   inning.     Errors  — 

Morgan,  Milan,  Jamieson,  Baker. 

Washington 

OIOOOOOOO  I 

New  York   . 

nnroo^ooo  —  ? 

Two-base  hits  —  •  McBride,  Harper,  Foster.     Stolen 

base  —  Gedeon.     Double 

plays  —  Gedeon  and  Pipp; 

Baker  and  Pipp;    Peckinpaugh  and  Gedeon.     Left 

on  bases  —  New  York,    7;    Washington,   6.     First 

base   on   errors  —  New   York,    i;     Washington,    i. 

Bases  on  balls  —  Off   Fisher,  2;   off  Harper,  3;    off 

Gallia,   i  .    Hits  and  earned  runs  —  Off  Harper,  6 

hits,  3  runs  in  six  innings;    off  Gallia,  i  hit  in  two 

innings.     Hit  by  Pitcher  —  Fisher,  (Shanks)  .    Struck 

out  —  By  Fisher,   i;    by 

Harper,  4;    by  Gallia,  2. 

Umpires  —  Messrs.  Owens  and  Connolly.    Time  of 

game  —  Two  hours  and  eleven  minutes.2 

Worth  noting  particularly  in  this  story  is  the  regulation 

style  of  indicating  the  lineup  and  the  score  at  the  end.     The 

writer's  originality  of  expression  and  his  happy  choice  of 

individual  incidents  also  add 

greatly  to  the  interest  of  the 

story.    The  lead,  for  instance,  is  unusually  good. 

iNew  York  Times,  April  16,  1916. 

SPORTS 


171 


238.  Football.  —  The  following  is  a  typical  football  story: 


ARMY  DEFEATS  NAVY 

It  was  just  as  the  gray  cloaked  lads  from  West 
Point  chanted  in  lugubrious  measure  before  the 
game: 

Go-oo-od  Night,  Nayvee! 
Go-oo-od  Night,  Navy! 
Go-oo-od  Night  —  Na-ay-ve-ee! 
The  Army  wins  to-day! 

They  put  into  the  chorus  all  the  pathos,  all  the 
long-sustained  notes,  all  the  tonsorial-parlor 
chords  of  which  it  is  capable,  and  those,  as  you 
know,  are  many. 

And  the  Army  boys,  sitting  in  a  fog  which  in 
hue  just  about  matched  their  capes  and  caps, 
called  the  turn  correctly  with  their  vocal  predic- 
tion. 

It  was  "  Good  Night,  Navy! "  to  the  tune  of  14 
points  to  o. 

The  youngsters  from  the  west  bank  of  the 
Upper  Hudson  were  triumphant  in  their  twenti- 
eth annual  battle  with  the  midshipmen  from 
Annapolis  by  two  touchdowns  and  their  con- 
comitant goals,  one  in  the  first  period  of  play, 
the  other  in  the  third.  The  count  of  games  now 
stands  ten  for  the  Army,  nine  for  the  Navy,  and 
one  tie. 

President  Wilson,  in  a  topper  that  got  wet,  and 
with  a  beaming  face  that  was  sprinkled  with  mist 
and  raindrops,  watched  the  fight  and  stayed 
until  the  final  wild  whoop  from  the  last  departing 
cadet  had  sounded  through  the  semi-darkness 
that  fell  upon  the  Polo  Grounds  along  toward 
4:30  p.  m. 

Mrs.  Edith  Boiling  Gait,  who  soon  is  to  be 
Mrs.  Wilson,  was  present  with  her  winsome  smile 
and  her  white  furs  and  her  lavender  orchids  - 
fortunately,  you  could  see  her  even  through  the 
haze  —  by  the  President's  side. 

And  then  there  were  some  forty  thousand 
others,  whose  ranks  in  life  ranged  down  from 
cabinet  officers  and  generals  and  admirals  to  or- 
dinary civilians,  who  dug  as  deep  —  some  of  them 
—  as  $20  a  seat  for  the  privilege. 


172 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


Yet,  do  you  suppose  that  President  Wilson  or 
any  official  was  the  hero  of  the  day? 

We  are  as  loyal  a  Democrat  as  anybody  else 
but  NO. 

Or  do  you  fancy  that  the  former  belle  of 
Wytheville,  Va.,  who  is  within  the  month  to  be 
the  First  Lady  of  the  Land,  was  the  person 
toward  whom  all  eyes  were  directed  during  most 
of  the  afternoon? 

There  were  considerable  numbers  of  field 
glasses  focused  upon  the  white  furs  and  the  laven- 
ender  orchids  and  winsome  smile.  But  again 
the  reply  is  emphatically  NO. 

The  leading  character,  the  person  who  ought 
to  figure  away  up  in  the  top  of  the  headlines,  the 
one  whose  name  was  spoken  more  frequently 
than  any  other,  was  a  rough,  rugged,  short,  stocky, 
right  half-back  named  Elmer  Oliphant,  who,  ac- 
cording to  Army  statistics,  is  twenty-two  years 
old,  stands  5  feet  7  inches  in  altitude,  weighs 
163  pounds,  and  hails  from  Indiana. 

Ollie  was  the  boy.  Before  the  first  period  of 
the  game  was  more  than  half  over,  there  was  a 
fumble  by  a  Navy  back  and  an  Army  man  fell 
upon  the  ball  only  eight  yards  away  from  the 
goal  line  of  the  midshipmen. 

There  was  the  crash  of  an  Army  back  against 
the  Navy  line,  and  just  a  little  weakening. 
There  was  another  impact  of  a  cadet  against 
a  wall  that  was  almost  but  not  quite  solid.  There 
remained  about  two  or  three  yards  to  go. 

Ollie  was  hurled  in.  He  took  the  ball,  sought 
coolly  for  the  weakest  spot  he  might  find  in  a  line 
that  was  almost  impregnable  at  the  moment,  and 
then,  instantly  finding  what  he  wanted,  twisted 
his  way  backward  through  left  tackle  and  fell 
across  the  chalk  mark  for  a  touchdown. 

The  way  the  rest  of  the  Army  boys  sank  their 
fists  into  Ollie's  broad  back  when  he  got  up, 
you'd  have  thought  he'd  be  in  no  shape  for  any 
other  position  than  lying  flat  upon  a  stretcher. 
But  he  came  calmly  away  from  the  tumult  of 
congratulation,  and  as  soon  as  he  could  kick  the 
mud  from  between  his  shoe-cleats  he  booted  the 
ball  over  the  cross-bar  for  a  goal. 

Throughout    the    rest    of    that    period,    and 


SPORTS 


throughout  all  the  next,  we  may  skip  Ollie.  All 
he  did  was  run  around  ends  for  distances  vary- 
ing from  five  to  twenty  yards,  and  plunge 
through  the  Annapolis  line  with  from  two  to 
four  men  attached  to  his  neck,  arms,  legs  and 
back,  and  tear  up,  despite  these  handicaps,  more 
earth  than  one  of  those  tractor  ploughs  the 
Flivver  Man  is  going  to  put  on  the  market  after 
he  settles  the  European  war. 

Jump  to  the  third  session  of  the  game.  This 
was  scarcely  under  way  before  a  long  forward 
pass  from  the  Navy  was  grabbed  on  the  An- 
napolis 45-yard  line  by  McEwen,  the  agile 
West  Point  center.  He  ran  it  back  twenty- 
five  yards  and  when  the  ball  finally  came  to 
rest  on  the  muddy  field  with  half  a  dozen  Mid- 
dies piled  atop  of  Mac,  it  reposed  just  back  of  the 
Navy  goal-line. 

Gray  dominated  throughout  the  day,  physi- 
cally as  well  as  sentimentally.  If  ever  there 
was  a  sodden,  cheerless,  disheartening  afternoon 
for  the  battle  of  the  two  arms  of  the  service, 
yesterday  was  the  one. 

Luck  is  with  the  boys,  usually.  The  golden 
sunshine  usually  glints  off  the  gold  of  braid  and 
buttons.  The  nicest  looking  girls  that  ever  as- 
sembled within  the  confines  of  any  particular 
area  of  space  turn  out  and  smile  and  put  lofty 
notes  into  the  atmosphere  with  their  giddy 
gowns  and  hats.  There's  snap  and  verve  and 
pepperino  in  the  very  air. 

But  for  the  first  time  in  a  long  while  the 
weather  forbade  all  this  sort  of  thing  yesterday. 
From  early  morning  a  fog-blanket,  wafted  in 
from  the  Atlantic,  hung  over  the  town.  Now 
and  then  it  rained.  And  when  you  thought 
maybe  it  would  clear  off  it  rained  again.  The 
good  old  golosh  was  brought  out  of  the  spare 
bedroom  closet  and  placed  upon  even  the  fairest 
of  feet.  The  old  brown  raincoat  was  dragged 
forth  into  the  light  of  day  and  placed  above  the 
gayest  of  garments. 

No  girl  was  so  foolish  as  to  take  a  chance  on 
the  ruin  of  her  apparel  by  doing  without  a 
moisture  shedder  of  some  sort.  And  not  a 
general  or  admiral  or  member  of  a  governor's 
staff  or  other  person  holding  the  right  to  wear 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


a  uniform  was  so  intensely  proud  as  to  expose 
his  ornamentation  uncovered  and  take  a  risk 
at  pneumonia. 

It  was,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  a  pretty  drab-look- 
ing crowd  that  began  to  file  into  the  Polo  grounds 
a  little  after  noon.  You  can't  get  much  local 
color  out  of  a  gum  shoe  and  a  mackintosh.  .  , 

The  Game  Play  by  Play 

It  was  2.15  when  the  navy  squad  ploughed 
through  the  mud  to  the  center  of  the  gridiron. 
The  Navy  stands  upheaved  and  the  midshipmen 
sent  their  battle  cry  ringing  across  the  field. 
Almost  on  the  heels  of  the  Navy  squad  came 
the  Army  players  and  a  great  shout  went  up  from 
the  Army  stands.  Each  team  ran  through 
signals  for  a  few  minutes  and  then  the  Navy 
won  the  toss  and  chose  the  east  goal. 

Coffin  put  the  ball  into  play  at  2:20  when  he 
kicked  off  to  the  Navy.  Craig  caught  the  ball 
on  his  25-yard  line  and  ran  it  back  ten  yards 
before  he  was  hurled  into  the  mud.  Davis  tore 
off  seven  yards  through  the  right  side  of  the 
Army  line  and  Westphal  skirted  the  Army's  left 
end  for  ten  yards  and  a  first  down. 

Here  the  Army  forwards  held  and  crushed  the 
Navy  back  a  yard.  On  the  next  down  the 
midshipmen  punted,  but  gained  only  five  yards. 
Oliphant  tried  an  end  run  from  a  kick  formation, 
but  failed  to  gain,  and  the  Army  punted,  Coffin 
driving  the  ball  to  the  Navy's  43-yard  line. 

Westphal  fought  a  path  for  five  yards,  but 
then  the  Army  defense  held,  and  Von  Heimberg 
kicked  to  Gerhardt  on  the  Army's  lo-yard*  line. 
The  cadet  quarterback  flashed  back  thirty  yards 
before  he  was  driven  out  of  bounds  and  brought 
to  earth.  A  stab  at  the  line  failed  to  gain  for 
the  cadets  and  Coffin  punted  to  Craig. 

The  ball  sailed  far  down  the  field  and  the 
Navy  quarterback  had  to  run  back  a  few  yards 
to  get  under  it.  But  he  did  not  get  back  quite 
far  enough.  As  the  ball  dropped  he  saw  he  had 
misjudged  it  and  threw  his  arms  up  to  grasp  the 
pigskin.  His  fingers  clutched  at  it,  slipped  off, 
and  the  ball  dropped  to  the  gridiron  as  the  Army 
forwards  swooped  down  the  field. 


SPORTS 


175 


Capt.  Weyand  was  in  the  lead  and  his  greedy 
fingers  snatched  the  ball  before  Craig  could  get 
his  bearings.  It  was  the  Army's  ball  and  only 
eight  yards  from  a  touchdown.  The  midship- 
men chorused  to  the  Navy  line  to  hold.  And  the 
line  did  its  best,  but  its  best  was  not  good  enough 
to  throw  back  the  Army's  battering  attack. 
Oliphant  jammed  his  way  two  yards  and  on  the 
next  play  drove  through  the  desperately  fight- 
ing Navy  line  within  a  few  feet  of  the  goal  line. 

Here  the  Navy  showed  a  flash  of  power  that 
sent  the  midshipmen  to  frenzied  shouting.  Oli- 
phant on  his  third  smash  into  the  line  was  hurled 
back  for  a  yard  loss.  The  next  try  made  the 
fourth  down  and  with  the  cadet  band  blaring 
and  the  cadets  shouting  themselves  hoarse  Oli- 
phant made  his  fourth  drive  against  the  Navy 
forwards. 

It  was  a  lunge  that  carried  the  concentrated 
power  of  the  Army  eleven  yards  behind  it  and  it 
spelled  a  touchdown  for  the  cadets.  Oliphant 
with  several  Navy  players  clutching  him  stormed 
well  over  the  line  for  the  first  score  of  the  game. 
He  promptly  kicked  the  goal  from  touchdown 
and  the  Scoreboard  read:  Army  7,  Navy  o. 

Tins  was  the  signal  for  the  Army  to  break  into 
the  song,  "Good  Night,  Navy."  They  were  still 
singing  when  Coffin  kicked  off  for  the  Army.  .  .  . 1 


This  story  may  be  examined  critically  —  and  imitated  — 
for  its  excellence  in  centering  the  reader's  interest  upon  the 
football  hero,  Oliphant, — a  stroke  which  gives  the  article 
almost  a  short  story  unity  of  impression.  The  writer's 
shift  from  the  game  and  the  crowd  to  Oliphant  is  somewhat 
rough  —  note,  for  instance,  "We  are  as  loyal  a  Democrat 
as  anybody  else,  but  NO, "  -  but  otherwise  the  story  is  good. 

239.  Getting  Players'  Names. — When  reporting  a  foot- 
ball game,  one  can  best  follow  and  take  notes  on  the  plays 
by  knowing  the  players  by  number.  In  big  games  this  in 
made  easy  by  the  numerals  on  the  football  men's  backs.  On 
the  smaller  elevens  this  is  not  done,  a  difficulty  which  the 

1  Joseph  J.  O'Neil  in  the  New  York  World,  November  28,  1915. 


i76 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


2.LHB 


reporter  can  overcome,  however,  by  numbering  the  position 
according  to  the  regulation  lineup.     Thus: 

5.LE     RE.ll 

RT.10  RHB.3 

RG.  9 

C.     8     QB.4  FB.l 

LG.  7 

LT.  6  LHB.2 

LE.  5 


l.FB 


6.LT 
7.LG 

4.QB  8.    C 
9.RG 

3.RHB       10.RT 
11. RE 


Then  in  taking  running  notes  during  the  game,  one  has 
write  only,  "4  around  5  10  yds./'  "2  through  7-8  to  2o-y 
line,"  etc.,  filling  in  the  names  of  the  players  after  each  ha 

240.  Basket-ball. --The  accepted  method  of  reporting 
a  basket-ball  game  is  much  like  that  of  football.  Because 
in  basket-ball  the  scores  run  high  and  the  relative  standings 
of  the  opposing  teams  are  constantly  shifting,  it  is  customan 
in  detailed  accounts  to  give  the  exact  score  of  each  team  a! 
the  end  of  every  quarter.  The  following  is  a  terse  story  oi 
a  game: 

BOYS'  HIGH  WINS  CITY  TITLE 
The  Boys'  High  School  captured  the  city 
basketball  championship  of  the  Public  Schools 
Athletic  League  by  defeating  the  Bushwick 
High  School  on  the  former's  court  yesterday  by 
a  score  of  18  to  17.  It  was  the  second  defeat 
sustained  by  Bushwick,  the  other  reverse  being 
administered  by  Eastern  District,  which,  how- 
ever, was  downed  by  Boys'  High.  The  ending 
was  a  sad  one  for  the  Bushwick  team. 

The  Bushwick  team  showed  good  sportsman- 
ship by  failing  to  enter  a  protest  when  it  was 
alleged  that  the  final  whistle  was  blown  ten 
seconds  too  soon.  The  matter  was  put  before 
Mr.  Aldinger,  the  referee,  who  decided  the  game 
officially  ended. 

Boys'  High  came  through  with  a  strong 
finish.  At  the  opening  of  the  game  it  scored 
four  points  before  Bushwick  finally  entered  the 
scoring  column.  The  game  was  bitterly  fought 
until  the  end  of  the  first  half,  which  found  Boys' 
High  holding  an  average  of  6  to  4. 


SPORTS 


177 


In  the  second  half  Bushwick  launched  an  at- 
tack that  soon  placed  it  in  front  by  a  score  of  15 
to  9.  Boys'  High  then  carried  the  fight  into  the 
enemy  territory,  and,  with  successive  field  goals 
by  Bolotovsky,  Gindee  and  Bonoff,  the  score  was 
tied  at  15-3!!. 

The  score  then  seesawed  until  Bolotovsky 
shot  the  winning  point  with  a  free  goal  from  the 
foul  line. 

The  line-up  follows: 


BOYS'  HIGH 

Fd.g  Fl.g.  P. 

Bolotovsky,  rf . .  4     4  12 

Gindee,  If i      o  2 

Bonoff,  c 2      o  4 

Brown,  rg o     o  o 

Ratner,  Ig o     o  o 


BUSHWICK 

Fd.gFl.g.  P. 

Robinson,  rf .  .  .  2      o  4 

Edelstein,  lf....2      3  7 

Cherry,  c 3      o  6 

Dorff,  rg o     o  o 

Billig,  Ig OOP 

Totals 7      3  17 


Totals 7     4    18 

Referee  —  Aldinger,  H.  S.  of  Commerce, 
halves,  15  minutes  each.1 


Time  of 


In  reporting  a  basket-ball  game  it  is  difficult  to  record  the 
plays  accurately  unless  one  knows  the  contestants  or  they 
are  numbered.  The  men  shift  their  positions  too  quickly 
and  constantly.  To  be  accurate,  the  reporter  should  have 
a  seat  next  to  the  scorer  or  else  between  two  students  or 
friends  of  the  opposing  players,  so  that  whichever  side 
makes  a  basket  or  an  error,  the  reporter  can  get  the  player's 
name  instantly. 

241.  Track. —  Reporting  a  track  meet  is  easier  than  base- 
ball, football,  or  basket-ball  since  the  events  are  run  off 
slowly  and  all  the  results  are  announced  to  the  grandstand. 
The  following  story  of  the  1917  meet  of  the  Intercollegiate 
Association  of  America  at  Philadelphia  is  a  good  illustration: 


RECORDS  MADE  AT  INDOOR  MEET 

Cornell  and  Yale,  as  usual,   shared  the  top 

honors  at  the  third  annual  indoor  track  and  field 

meet    of     the    Intercollegiate     Association    of 

America,  held  last  night  before  a  crowd,  of  6,000 

1  New  York  Tribune,  March  4,  1917. 


i78 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


persons  at  the  Commercial  Museum  in  this  city. 
The  feature  event  of  the  early  part  of  the  pro- 
gram was  a  three-lap  relay  race  between  the 
Ithacans,  Pennsylvania  and  State  College.  Crim, 
who  ran  anchor  for  Cornell  over  the  last  538 
yards,  beat  Scudder,  of 'Perm,  by  an  inch,  the 
Quaker  falling  under  the  tape  exhausted.  In 
this  event  Cornell  hung  up  a  new  record  for 
the  collegiate  indoor  meets  by  covering  the  three 
Taps  in  four  minutes,  twenty  seconds,  two  seconds 
better  than  last  year,  when  Penn  won. 

In  the  six-lap  relay  race,  where  each  of  the 
men  ran  1056  yards,  Yale  romped  home  an  easy 
winner,  John  Overton  beating  Marion  Shields, 
of  Penn  State,  with  yards  to  spare.  Pennsyl- 
vania, the  third  team  entered,  finished  in  that 
position. 

Yale  sent  an  army  of  star  timber-toppers 
down  for  the  fifty-yard  high  hurdle  event.  John 
V.  Farwell,  captain  of  the  Eli's  track  team, 
equaled  the  American  amateur  indoor  record 
by  covering  the  distance  in  seven  seconds. 

Richards,  of  Cornell,  won  individual  honors 
in  the  sixteen-pound  shot-put  with  a  throw  of 
42  feet,  8  3-10  inches,  while  Cornell's  team 
average  was  40  feet,  2  3-10  inches. 

The  Cornell  entries  in  the  late  events  swept 
everything  before  them.  Coach  Jack  Moakley's 
long-distance  runners  won  the  twelve-lap  relay 
in  the  fast  time  of  22  minutes,  7  2-5  seconds, 
beating  last  year's  record  of  23  minutes,  13  4-5 
seconds.  The  Ithacans  also  cleaned  up  in  the 
running  broad  jump  with  a  team  average  of 
20  feet,  9  and  1-16  inches.  Culbertson  carried 
off  the  individual  honors  with  a  leap  of  21  feet, 
3  and  3-4  inches. 

The  graduate  relay  race  proved  the  most  in- 
teresting event  on  the  card.  When  the  anchor 
men  of  Penn,  Dartmouth,  a?id  Cornell  started 
on  the  last  four  laps  Riley,  of  Dartmouth,  was 
leading  "Ted"  Meredith  by  fifteen  yards,  with 
Caldwell,  the  former  Ithacan,  trailing  five  yards 
in  the  rear  of  Meredith.  Penn's  former  captain 
brought  the  crowd  to  its  feet  by  overtaking 
Riley  in  the  last  ten  yards.  No  time  was  taken. 
Summaries: 


SPORTS 


179 


Three-lap  relay  race  —  Won  by  Cornell  (Shelton, 
Windnagle,  Acheson,  Crim);  second,  Penn  (Lennon, 
Walker,  Dorsey,  Scudder);  third,  Penn  State 
(Whiting,  Krall,  Enoch,  Cottom).  Time,  4  min., 
20  sec.  (New  indoor  collegiate  record). 

50-yard  hurdles  —  Won  by  Yale  (Rodman, 
Davis,  Offutt  and  Farwell),  14  points;  second, 
Cornell  (J.  M.  Watt,  Cleminshaw,  Pratt  and  Elsas), 
10  points;  third,  Princeton  (Crawford,  H.  R.  Watt, 
Erdman,  and  Buzby),  6  points. 

Six-lap  relay— Won  by  Yale  (Rolfe,  Ireland, 
Cooper  and  Overton);  second,  Penn  State  (Shea, 
Foster,  Whiting  and  Shields);  third,  Pennsylvania 
(Norriss,  Price,  Scudder  and  Humphreys).  Time, 
9  min.,  59  4-5  sec. 

1 6-pound  shot-put  —  Won  by  Cornell  (Richards, 
42  ft.  8  3-10  in.;  Gillies,  39  ft.  n \  in.;  Howell,  41  ft. 
5  in.;  Schoof,  36  ft.  io§  in.),  team  average,  40  ft. 
2  3-10  in.;  second,  Princeton  (Sinclaire,  44  ft. 
9^  in.;  Cleveland  41  ft.  if  in.;  Nourse,  34  ft.  8  in.; 
Ginnert  35  ft.  i \  in.),  team  average,  38  ft.  6  8-10  in.; 
third,  Penn  (Wray,  30  ft.  ioi  in.;  Paul,  32  ft.  3!  in; 
Royer,  31  ft.  5!  in.;  Swann,  32  ft.  i\  in.),  team 
average,  31  ft.  6  5-10  in. 

Running  broad  jump  —  Won  by  Cornell  (Cul- 
bertson,  21  ft.  3 j  in.;  Richards,  21  ft.  \  in.;  Shackel- 
ton,  20  ft.  io|  in.;  Harrison,  19  ft.  9?  in.),  team 
average,  20  ft.  9  1-16  in.;  second,  Pennsylvania 
(Jones,  20  ft.  lof  in.;  Bertolet,  20  ft.  7  in.;  Buck- 
holtz,  20  ft.  \  in.;  Walter  19  ft.  9  in.),  team  average, 
20  ft.  3  13-16  in.  No  third  team.1 


242.  Golf.  —  In  reporting  golf  matches  probably  the 
best  method  is  to  lead  with  rather  a  full  summary  —  a  half- 
dozen  paragraphs  if  necessary  —  telling  the  results,  the 
character  of  the  playing,  the  kind  of  weather,  the  condition 
of  the  links,  and  something  about  the  competitors,  then  to 
follow  with  a  detailed  story  of  the  game  hole  by  hole.  In  the 
following  story  note  that  the  length,  the  par,  and  the  relative 
standing  of  the  players  is  given  on  each  hole.  Note  too  that 
a  numerical  summary  is  made  every  nine  holes. 


Philadelphia  Public  Ledger,  March  4,  1917. 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


EVANS  WINS  GREAT  MATCH 

Charles  Evans,  Jr.,  of  the  Edgewater  Golf 
Club,  twice  winner  of  the  Western  amateur 
golf  championship,  to-day  defeated  Ned  Sawyer 
of  the  Wheaton  Golf  Club  2  and  i  in  the  semi- 
final match  for  the  great  All-Western  title. 
To-morrow  Evans  will  meet  in  the  36-hole  finals 
James  Standish,  Jr.,  of  the  Detroit  Golf  Club, 
whom  he  defeated  for  the  same  title  last  year 
at  the  Kent  Country  Club. 

Standish  won  his  way  into  the  finals  by  de- 
feating H.  P.  Bingham,  of  the  Mayfield  club, 
to-day  in  a  lop-sided  contest,  the  match  ending 
on  the  thirtieth  green,  7  and  6. 

The  Evans-Sawyer  duel  to-day  was  a  gruel- 
ing struggle  and  from  all  points  one  of  the  great- 
est vin  the  history  of  the  Western  classic.  It 
sparkled  like  carbonated  water  as  compared 
with  the  rather  flat  matches  of  yesterday. 

Fought  in  balmy  weather  under  almost  per- 
fect conditions,  the  contest  afforded,  from  start 
to  finish,  plenty  of  thrills  to  the  gallery  of  2,000 
followers.  Old  timers  conceded  it  the  best 
match  ever  fought  on  Ohio  soil.  Each  player 
had  74  in  the  morning,  while  Evans  had  ap- 
proximately 72  in  the  afternoon. 

Fourteen  of  the  thirty-five  holes  were  won 
under  par  figures,  ten  were  won  at  par,  and  two 
were  ties  under 'par,  leaving  only  two  holes  at 
which  both  players  were  really  ragged. 

Sawyer  shot  remarkably  fine  golf  in  the  out 
round  of  the  morning  and  at  the  tenth  hole 
was  4  up,  but  from  this  point  Evans  began  to 
whittle  down  the  lead.  Although  Chick  got 
on  even  terms  four  times,  it  was  not  until  the 
sixteenth  hole  in  the  afternoon  that  he  led,  and 
the  next  hole  saw  him  winner. 

The  score  by  holes  follows: 

Scores  by  Holes 

Hole  i  (385  yds.,  par  4).  Sawyer  pulled  his 
drive  into  a  trap  from  which  he  dug  only  to  drop 
into  another  at  the  left  of  the  green.  His  chip 
shot  hit  the  bank  and  he  was  just  on  the  green 
in  4.  Evans  was  60  feet  from  the  pin  on  his 
second,  but  his  weak  approach  putt  gave  him 


SPORTS 


181 


a  5.  Sawyer  took  three  putts  and  counted  a 
7  for  the  first  hole.  Evans  i  up. 

Hole  2  (310  yds.,  par  4).  Evans  pulled  his 
tee  shot,  but  got  a  fair  lie.  His  approach  pitch 
was  short.  Sawyer  got  250  yards  on  his  drive, 
pitched  eight  feet  short,  and  holed  an  uphill 
putt  for  a  win,  3-4.  All  square. 

Hole  3  (445  yds.,  par  5).  Two  wonderful 
wooden  shots  landed  Sawyer  eight  feet  from 
the  phi,  where  he  missed  his  putt  for  a  3  and 
kicked  the  ball  in  for  a  4,  one  under  par.  Evans 
pulled  his  drive  to  the  rough  from  which  he 
made  a  woeful  pull  with  his  cleek  to  the  weeds 
guarding  the  right  of  the  fairway.  He  was  20 
yards  short  of  the  green  on  his  third  and  lost, 
5-4.  Sawyer  i  up. 

Hole  4  (170  yds.,  par  3).  This  hole  was 
halved  in  3,  the  features  being  Sawyer's  30- 
foot,  downhill  putt  and  Chick's  miss  of  a  two- 
foot  putt.  Sawyer  i  up. 

Hole  5  (325  yds.,  par  4).  Evans  was  wild 
again  from  the  tee,  his  drive  being  sliced  to  the 
brook  where  he  got  a  lie  on  the  slaty  bottom. 
He  banged  out  a  high  shot  with  his  niblick,  but 
went  over  the  green  to  the  rough  and  was  short 
on  his  return.  Sawyer  was  fifteen  feet  from 
the  hole  on  his  second  and  won,  4-5.  Sawyer 
2  up. 

Hole  6  (515  yds.,  par  5).  From  the  high 
sixth  tee  Evans  pulled  a  low  drive  to  the  trees. 
He  made  a  great  out  with  his  mashie,  being 
lucky  in  escaping  the  trees.  Sawyer  lined  out 
two  of  his  regulation  wooden  shots  and  was 
twelve  feet  from  the  flag  on  his  second.  Evans 
heeled  his  long  mashie  shot  to  the  right  of  the 
green,  from  which  he  missed  his  four  and  con- 
ceded the  hole,  Sawyer  being  dead  in  3.  Saw- 
yer 3  up. 

Hole  7  (310  yds.,  par  4).  Evans  left  his  un- 
ruly driver  in  the  bag  and  played  a  cleek  shot 
for  the  seventh  hole,  Sawyer  outdriving  him 
forty  yards.  Chick's  pitch  took  a  bad  bound, 
but  stopped  eight  feet  from  the  hole.  Sawyer's 
pitch  ran  entirely  across  the  green.  Evans's 
putt  just  trickled  into  the  cup,  winning  for  him, 
3-4.  Sawyer  2  up. 


182 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


Hole  8  (145  yds.,  par  3).  Both  pitched  to 
the  green.  Sawyer  putted  dead  and  laid 
Evans  a  dead  stymie.  In  attempting  the  five- 
foot  slanting  putt,  Chick  knocked  Sawyer's  ball 
into  the  hole,  losing  2-4.  Sawyer  3  up. 

Hole  9  (435  yds.,  par  5).  Both  got  straight 
drives  into  a  driving  wind  at  the  long  ninth. 
Two  perfectly  played  iron  shots  met  with  un- 
merited punishment,  both  balls  touching  the 
top  of  the  hill  and  running  over  the  fast  green 
into  a  trap.  Both  missed  rainbow  putts  for 
fours  and  halved  in  5.  Sawyer  3  up  at  the  turn. 

Cards: 

Evans 54535534  5~ 39 

Sawyer 73434442  5—36 

243.  Tennis.  —  In  reporting  tennis  matches  one  may 
use  the  following  as  an  acceptable  guide.  The  summary  by 
sets  at  the  end  of  the  story  in  all  probability  was  obtained 
from  the  scorer. 

JOHNSTON   WINS    CHAMPIONSHIP 

William  M.  Johnston  inscribed  his  name  upon 
the  classic  national  tennis  singles  champion- 
ship most  impressively  yesterday,  using  a  fore- 
hand stroke  that  left  no  dispute  as  to  his  right 
to  the  title.  The  young  player,  who  two  seasons 
ago  was  hailed  as  the  successor  to  Maurice  E. 
McLoughlin,  made  good  the  prediction  by  the 
score  of  1-6,  6-0,  7-5,  10-8,  while  thousands 
cheered  the  vanquished  McLoughlin  and  the 
new  holder  of  the  highest  honors  of  the  Ameri- 
can courts.  It  was  a  memorable  battle  and  an 
inspiring  scene  at  the  climax  on  the  field  of  the 
West  Side  Tennis  Club,  at  Forest  Hills,  L.  I., 
when  the  two  men  fighting  for  a  sporting  honor, 
and  fighting  with  all  that  was  in  them,  almost 
collapsed  at  the  end,  and  hoisted  on  the  shoul- 
ders of  their  comrades,  with  the  cheers  of  the 
7,000  spectators  ringing  in  their  ears,  were 
carried  from  the  field. 

While  the  homage  paid  to  Johnston  for  win- 
ning one  of  the  greatest  matches  the  All  Comers' 
tournament  has  ever  known  in  its  thirty-five 
years  was  sincere  and  true,  still  on  all  sides  there 
was  regret  that  McLoughlin,  the  hero  who  over- 


SPORTS 


183 


whelmed  Norman  E.  Brooks  and  the  late  An- 
thony F.  Wilding  in  the  great  Davis  Cup 
matches  last  year,  would  not  have  the  permanent 
possession  of  the  All  Comers'  Cup  on  which 
his  name  is  twice  inscribed. 

It  was  not  the  same  McLoughlin  who  stood 
in  the  court  yesterday  that  overwhelmed  the 
famous  Australasians  a  year  ago.  Time  had 
taken  something  from  his  game,  and  as  ever 
youth  must  be  served.  In  this  instance  it  fairly 
leaped  to  its  reward.  Except  for  the  first  set 
and  the  briefest  of  intervals  thereafter,  Johnston 
was  always  the  master  of  his  mighty  adversary. 
He  knew  the  game  of  his  opponent,  and  as  in  the 
ancient  days  when  Greek  met  Greek,  it  was  the 
dynamic  power,  resourcefulness,  and  stroke  of 
Californian  against  Californian,  with  no  quarter 
asked  or  given.  Two  months  before  the  two 
had  played  for  the  Exposition  championship 
at  San  Francisco,  and  at  that  time  McLoughlin 
had  carried  the  match  and  title  after  five  of  the 
hardest  sets  which  the  tournament  produced. 
Then  "The  Comet"  was  on  his  old  field  of  as- 
phalt with  the  ball  bounding  so  high  that  he 
could  bring  off  his  overhanders  and  where  such 
a  thing  as  ground  strokes  were  unknown. 

Probably  never  in  all  the  years  of  the  historic 
All  Comers  has  a  player  displayed  such  phe- 
nomenal command  of  the  ball  with  a  forehand 
stroke.  There  were  many  competent  judges  pres- 
ent yesterday  who  declared  that  its  equal  was 
not  to  be  found  on  the  courts  anywhere.  .  .  . 

It  was  a  stroke  that  stood  the  test,  for  no  less 
than  eight  tunes  in  the  fourth  set  was  Johnston 
within  a  point  of  claiming  the  All  Comers  as  his 
own  when  McLoughlin  made  thrilling  stands 
as  of  old,  and  pushed  the  victory  on  a  little 
further.  When  he  moved  up  to  the  net  in  the 
ever-flashing  rallies  all  the  power  and  certainty 
of  Johnston's  forehand  came  into  action.  Alert, 
with  the  eye  of  an  eagle  that  saw  every  move 
and  the  flight  of  the  ball  as  McLoughlin  drove 
it  at  him  with  all  his  might,  the  younger  player 
whipped  the  returns  into  the  corners.  He  was 
like  a  cat  on  his  feet,  quick  and  sure,  never  mak- 
ing a  false  move.  There  were  times  when  he 


184 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


nipped  the  best  drives  that  the  Comet  sent  over, 
and  turned  them  back  for  passes.  Repeatedly 
McLoughlin  overhanded  the  ball  for  what  to 
him  seemed  a  certain  ace,  so  that  he  relaxed 
and  dropped  his  racquet  to  rest,  as  if  the  point 
were  finished.  Johnston  made  his  recovery, 
however,  and  sending  the  ball  back  found  Mc- 
Loughlin off  his  guard  and  so  scored  the  point. 
The  cross  volleys  into  the  corners,  the  spots 
that  had  proved  so  profitable  against  Williams 
on  the  previous  day,  were  the  chief  bit  of 
manoeuvring  that  electrified  the  crowd.  As 
Johnston  played  it,  it  was  as  irresistible  as  try- 
ing to  check  the  march  of  time.  He  sent  the 
ball  into  the  left-hand  corner  of  McLoughlin's 
court  like  a  bolt  of  chain  lightning.  In  order 
to  play  the  ball  with  any  success  McLoughlin 
usually  danced  around  it  for  a  forehand  shot, 
which  put  him  wide  of  the  court.  Calmly 
stepping  in  to  meet  it,  Johnston  crossed  with 
ever-increasing  pace  into  the  opposite  corner. 
It  was  run,  run,  run  for  McLoughlin  if  he 
wanted  the  ball.  He  was  on  the  defensive, 
and  it  was  a  position,  as  in  all  of  his  matches, 
in  which  he  does  not  scintillate.  So  relent- 
lessly was  the  younger  player  forcing  the  former 
champion  and  veteran  that,  even  when  he  had 
glowing  opportunities  to  make  the  point,  Mc- 
Loughlin put  his  racquet  to  the  ball  too  soon, 
and  so  piled  up  a  total  of  42  nets  and  38  outs, 
as  compared  to  37  nets  and  26  outs  for  his  rival. 
That  was  chiefly  where  the  difference  stood,  for 
on  actual  earned  points  by  placement  Johnston 
only  had  a  tally  of  53  to  51  for  the  Comet.  .  .  . 

First  Set 

Points      Games 

Johnston 2030542  —  16 

McLoughlin 4454364  —  30 


Aces  Places 

Johnston 6          8          n 

McLoughlin 9        10         9 

Second  Set 

Points 

Johnston   445464  —  27 

McLoughlin 223040  —  n 


i 
6 

Double 
Nets  Outs  Faults 


Aces  Places 

Johnston  3          8 

McLoughlin  * 3          2 


t 

1  New  York  Times,  September  8,  1915. 


Games 
6 

Double 
Nets  Outs  Faults 
340 
5          6  i 


SPORTS  185 

244.  Boxing  Matches.  —  News  stories  of  boxing  matches 
are  but  a  combination  of  the  methods  of  writing  football 
games  and  golf  matches.  The  first  part  of  the  story  of  a 
boxing  contest  should  be  a  full  general  account  of  the  fight, 
the  fighters,  the  character  of  the  boxing,  the  weight,  height, 
and  reach  of  the  pugilists,  their  methods  of  attack  and  defense, 
the  crowd,  total  and  individual  receipts,  the  exact  time  of 
the  beginning  and  end  of  the  fight,  etc.  The  second  part, 
like  the  golf  report,  should  be  a  detailed  running  story  of 
the  fight  by  rounds.  The  following  story  of  the  Willard- 
Moran  match  at  New  York  in  1915  may  be  examined  as  an 

example: 

WILLARD  WINS  ON  POINTS 

Jess  Willard,  the  heavyweight  champion 
pugilist  of  the  world,  hammered  and  pounded 
Frank  Moran  of  Pittsburgh  for  ten  rounds  in 
crowded  Madison  Square  Garden  last  night, 
but  with  his  advantage  of  fifty  pounds  in  weight, 
six  inches  in  height,  and  six  inches  in  reach, 
the  Herculean  Kansan  could  not  knock  out  the 
courageous  Pittsburgh  boxer. 

Willard  had  every  advantage  throughout 
the  bout  except  one  flash  in  the  seventh  round, 
when  Moran,  with  teeth  set  and  the  fire  of 
anger  hi  his  eye,  made  a  wonderful  rally  and 
showered  Willard's  jaw  with  hard  blows  just 
before  the  bell  sounded. 

The  champion  hit  Moran  hard  enough  and 
often  enough  to  knock  out  half  a  dozen  men, 
and  after  the  bout  he  said  that  the  only  reason 
he  was  forced  to  let  up  and  not  use  his  famous 
righthand  punch  was  because  he  broke  his  right 
hand  in  the  second  round  and  was  afraid  to  hit 
hard  after  that.  It  was  in  whipping  a  vicious 
uppercut  for  the  chin  that  Willard  smashed  the 
hand  against  Moran's  elbow.  At  the  time, 
Moran  was  groggy,  and  although  the  seconds 
hi  the  champion's  corner  yelled  for  him  to  tear 
in,  Willard  had  to  stand  back. 

When  the  champion's  glove  was  removed 
after  the  bout,  the  hand  was  badly  swollen, 
and  he  was  rushed  away  from  the  Garden  to  be 
attended  by  a  surgeon. 


i86 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


The  crowd  that  witnessed  the  bout  was  the 
largest  ever  seen  at  a  glove  contest  here.  The 
Garden  from  the  floor  to  the  upper  gallery  was 
jammed  until  there  was  hardly  room  to  stand. 
Although  women  spectators  were  encouraged 
to  see  the  bout,  few  responded,  not  more  than 
200  being  seen  in  the  arena  boxes.  Well-known 
men  in  all  walks  of  New  York  life,  however, 
were  grouped  about  in  evening  clothes,  and 
gave  the  boxing  match  as  much  tone  as  a  night 
at  the  opera.  A  few  of  the  women  spectators 
wore  evening  clothes,  but  the  greater  part  of 
them  were  clad  in  the  smart  new  spring  suits 
which  fill  all  the  city's  finery  shops. 

Financially  the  bout  was  a  huge  success  and 
a  tribute  to  the  enterprise  of  the  Western  pro- 
moter, Tex  Rickard.  The  receipts  amounted 
to  $150,000.  Of  this  Willard  got  $52,600,  in- 
cluding $5,100  for  his  share  of  the  motion 
pictures.  Moran  got  $23,500  for  his  share. 
It  was  an  enormous  remuneration  for  both  men 
for  their  forty  minutes  in  the  ring. 

This  first  appearance  of  the  new  champion 
in  the  ring  since  his  defeat  of  Johnson  in  Havana 
a  year  ago  had  set  the  town  talking,  and  promi- 
nent men  in  New  York  and  other  cities  did  not 
hesitate  to  pay  $25  a  seat  to  see  the  bout.  As 
Willard  was  such  an  over-ruling  favorite  the 
betting  was  perhaps  the  lightest  ever  known  in 
a  bout  in  which  a  champion  has  taken  part.  .  .  . 

It  was  9:40  o'clock  when  Willard  hopped 
into  the  ring  and  got  a  big  cheer.  He  was  soon 
followed  by  Moran,  who  had  even  a  greater 
reception.  While  the  two  contestants  were 
waiting  nervously  in  their  corners  the  announcer, 
Joe  Humphries,  had  the  proudest  moment  of 
his  career  when  he  gathered  the  great  figures  of 
the  fistic  world  into  the  same  ring.  Jim  Corbett, 
Bob  Fitzsimmons,  Kid  McCoy,  and  John  L. 
Sullivan  all  stood  together  and  shook  hands. 
The  reception  to  John  L.  must  have  made  the 
white-haired  old  man's  heart  warm,  for  the  old 
timers  in  the  crowd  who  remembered  when  he 
could  beat  anything  in  the  ring  cheered  him  until 
they  were  hoarse. 

In  the  champion's  corner  were  Tom  Jones, 
Walter  Monahan,  and  Jack  Hemple.  In 


SPORTS 


187 


Moran's  corner  were  Willie  Lewis,  Bill  McKin- 
non,  and  Frank  Kendall.  Willard's  weight 
was  a  big  surprise.  When  he  stripped  off  his 
green  bathrobe  the  champion  weighed  259 
pounds,  which  was  ten  pounds  more  than  his 
handlers  said  he  weighed  and  twenty  pounds 
more  than  when  he  defeated  Johnson  in  Cuba. 
It  was  just  9:55  when  "Old  Eagle  Eye"  Charley 
White  called  the  men  to  the  center  of  the  ring 
and  said,  "Be  good,  boys,  and  break  when  I  tell 
you."  .  .  . 

THE  FIGHT  BY  ROUNDS 
First  Round 

The  men  met  in  the  center  of  the  ring.  Wil- 
lard  blocked  Moran's  left  to  the  head  and  they 
clinched.  Willard  missed  a  right  and  left  that 
slid  off  Moran's  shoulder.  Willard  landed 
lightly  with  the  left  to  Moran's  face  and  followed 
with  two  more.  A  left  jab  was  all  that  Willard 
used  in  the  first  few  moments.  Then  Moran 
landed  a  left  to  Willard's  chest,  and  rushing  in 
close  tried  to  get  to  his  jaw  with  two  blows,  but 
failed.  Moran  was  wary  and  covered  up  as  he 
came  in  on  Willard.  He  also  missed  a  left 
swing  that  was  wild  by  several  inches.  Wil- 
lard sent  a  left  to  Moran's  head  that  jarred  the 
challenger,  and  he  tried  to  come  back  with 
blows  to  Willard's  head,  but  failed.  Moran 
could  not  reach  the  jaw  of  the  champion.  Wil- 
lard missed  a  right  lead,  Moran  stepping  in 
close  and  evading  the  blow.  One  blow  that 
Willard  landed  clean,  a  left  to  the  head,  made 
Moran  wary.  Moran  could  not  get  any  blows 
to  Willard's  face. 

Second  Round 

Willard  met  Moran  three-quarters  of  the 
way  over  the  ring  and  they  clinched.  Moran 
landed  a  left  to  Willard's  head  after  they  broke 
and  then  they  milled  in  the  center  of  the  ring, 
neither  doing  any  particular  damage.  They 
were  chary  of  doing  work  for  the  next  several 
seconds,  Willard  waiting  to  have  Moran  lead. 
Willard  pushed  aside  Moran's  guard  and  led 
with  a  left  to  the  head  which  was  blocked.  Wil- 
lard forced  Moran  around  the  ring  and  battered 
him  on  the  head  with  rights  and  lefts.  The 


i88 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


challenger  was  almost  pushed  through  the  ropes. 
Moran  missed  a  left  lead  that  was  blocked  by 
Willard.  Moran  feinted  and  made  a  wild  hay- 
making swing  that  missed.  He  then  struck 
one  blow  to  Willard's  chest  that  had  little  force 
behind  it.  Moran  led  with  his  left  and  reached 
Willard's  stomach,  but  the  champion  did  not 
mind  the  blow  seriously.  Two  right  swings  by 
Moran  pounded  on  Willard's  shoulders  and 
the  champion  retaliated  with  a  light  left  jab 
to  the  face.  Both  were  perspiring  from  the 
intense  heat  of  the  big  arc  lights.  Willard 
seemed  to  toy  with  Moran  in  this  round,  not 
exerting  himself  to  take  the  aggressive.  .  .  .  1 

245.  The  Unwholesome  in  Boxing  Matches.  —  One  cau- 
tion should  be  given  in  writing  about  boxing  contests, — 
the  need  of  presenting  the  wholesome  rather  than  the  un- 
wholesome side.  A  report  of  a  bout  may  be  written  in  such 
a  way  as  to  appeal  to  the  barbaric  nature  of  one's  readers, 
to  make  them  revel  in  the  mere  drawing  of  blood  rather  than 
in  the  skill,  the  dexterity,  the  generalship  of  the  contestants. 
The  difference  is  in  the  reporter's  point  of  view  and  depends 
not  so  much  upon  accuracy  of  presentation  as  upon  his  pur- 
pose to  choose  those  wholesome  details  that  have  been  suc- 
cessful in  retaining  pugilism  as  an  American  sport  despite 
its  many  undoubted  accompanying  evils.  In  the  following 
extract,  for  instance,  the  appeal  is  unhealthful;  it  savors 
rather  of  the  Spanish  bull-ring  than  of  a  legal  sport  in  the 
United  States: 

What  a  fight  it  was!  One  worthy  of  Mars 
himself!  The  stage  setting  was  complete  to 
the  minutest  detail.  There  had  been  quite 
enough  smashed  noses  in  the  preliminaries  to 
whet  the  appetite  for  action  to  its  keenest  edge. 
And  the  main  event  was  put  on  so  quickly  after 
the  semi-final  that  this  lust  for  battle  had  no 
chance  to  cool.  Moran  led  with  a  snappy  left 
hook  that  drew  blood  from  Coffey's  nose.  With 
this  first  faint  scarlet  trickle  the  gallery  gods 

i  New  York  Times,  March  26,  1916. 


SPORTS 


went  wild.  A  second  quick  jab  gashed  an  old 
scar  above  Jim's  left  cheekbone  and  covered 
his  face  with  blood,  to  the  delight  of  Frank's 
friends  in  the  center  box. 


246.  Automobile  Races.  —  Stories  of  automobile  races 
follow  closely  the  types  of  sporting  news  stories  already 
examined.  The  following  may  be  taken  as  an  illustration: 

NEW    WORLD'S    RECORD    BY    RESTA 


The  Results 

Driver                       Time  Average 

Resta 58:54  102.85 

Cooper 59:39  101.41 

Burman 61:22  98.63 

Oldfield Flagged 


Speedway  Park,  Aug.  7.  —  (Special).  — The 
world's  loo-mile  speed  championship  was  won 
by  a  hood  this  afternoon  —  the  hood  of  Dario 
Resta's  wonderful  Peugeot. 

Cheers  from  15,000  throats  drowned  the  roar 
of  the  engines  as  the  Resta  Peugeot  and  Earl 
Cooper's  Stutz  wound  up  a  race  unparalleled 
for  thrills  and  dashed  side  by  side  up  the 
home  stretch  and  over  the  finish  line.  Resta 
won  $20,000. 

Resta  smashed  Porporato's  record  of  99.05 
miles  an  hour  on  the  Chicago  speedway  by  driv- 
ing the  100  miles  at  an  average  speed  of  102.85 
miles  an  hour. 

Through  the  whole  hundred  miles,  most  of 
which  were  reeled  off  at  the  record  breaking  clip 
of  104.6  miles  an  hour,  the  two  leaders  were 
seldom  separated  by  more  than  a  car  length. 

Tire  trouble  early  in  the  race  put  Oldfield  in 
his  Delage  and  Burman  in  his  Peugeot  out  of 
running.  They  trailed  along  in  a  tremendous 
effort  to  overcome  the  handicap,  but  trailers 
they  remained. 

Once,  on  the  thirty-sixth  lap,  it  seemed  that 
Resta  had  lost.  A  tire  went  bad  and  he  was 
forced  to  stop.  But  in  just  26  seconds  he  was 
on  his  way  again. 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 

By  that  time  Cooper  had  flitted  far  in  the 
lead  —  so  far  that  had  he  not  suffered  a  similar 
mishap  himself  a  few  laps  later,  the  game 
Italian  never  could  have  overtaken  him.  Resta 
was  again  in  the  lead  when  Cooper's  bad  tire 
was  replaced. 

The  cars  lined  up  for  the  trial  lap  at  3:30, 
Oldfield  starting  first.  A  roar  of  cheers  from 
the  grandstand  greeted  Earl  Cooper  in  his  white 
Stutz  as  he  started  on  the  initial  parade  around 
the  track. 

Fred  J.  Wagner,  the  man  with  the  red  flag, 
stood  astride  the  tape  and  started  the  cars  on 
their  flying  race  at  3:44  P.M. 

The  Race  by  Laps 

First  Lap.  —  Resta  led  in  the  first  lap,  Cooper 
second,  Burman  third,  with  Oldfield  trailing. 

Second   Lap On    the    second   lap    Resta 

stretched  his  lead,  Cooper  closed  up  on  him, 
only  a  car's  length  behind;  Burman  came  third, 
with  Oldfield  fourth,  a  wide  interval  separating 
Burman  and  Oldfield  from  the  leading  con- 
testants. 

Third  Lap.  —  Resta  was  leading,  with  Cooper 
close  behind,  and  Burman  third.  Oldfield 
brought  up  the  rear.1  .  .  . 

247.  Billiards.  —  In  billiard  matches  the  chief  thing  to 
note,  in  addition  to  points  already  mentioned  in  other  sport- 
ing news  stories,  is  the  scoring  of  the  individual  runs.  If 
it  is  necessary  to  write  up  the  individual  innings,  the  same 
style  is  used  as  indicated  in  golf  and  racing  stories. 

HOPPE    OUTPLAYS    YAMADA 

Boston,  Oct.  21. — Willie  Hoppe,  the  cham- 
pion, led  Koji  Yamada,  his  Japanese  challenger, 
1,000  to  743  points  at  the  close  of  their  second 
night's  play  for  the  14.1  balkline  billiard 
championship  at  Convention  Hall  this  evening. 
Yamada's  total  to-night  was  396.  As  was  the 
case  last  night,  both  men  played  carefully,  which 
accounted  for  the  long  time  necessary  to  finish 
the  game. 

1  Milwaukee  Journal,  August  8,  1915. 


SPORTS 


191 


Hoppe's  high  run  was  104,  and  came  late  in 
the  contest,  his  average  being  19  6-26.  Ya- 
mada's  best  run  was  82,  and  as  it  came  soon 
after  a  run  of  75,  it  enabled  him  to  take  the  lead 
from  the  American  for  the  first  time  in  the 
match.  His  average  was  13  22-25. 

Yamada  in  the  first  half  of  the  game  gave  a 
pleasing  display  in  which  for  the  first  time  he 
showed  brilliancy  at  the  masse.  Hoppe  was 
not  up  to  form  during  the  early  innings  and 
got  his  points  only  by  hard  struggle.  Both 
players  had  a  good  deal  of  open  table  shooting 
to  do.  The  score: 

Hoppe—  49,  30,  2,  31,  3,  o,  22,  5,  23,  24,  4,  o,  8,  o, 
17,  7,  55,  o,  44,  n,  104,  31,  o,  24,  5,  7  —  500.  Average, 
19  6-26. 

Yamada  —  9,  2,  i,  45  30,  o,  75,  o,  45,  4,  2,  82,  o, 
i,  31,  i,  o,  o,  9,  2  3,  o,  i,  7,  3  —  347.  Average,  13 
22-25.! 

248.  Obtaining  Information.  —  In  reporting  games  and 
mtests  one  will  have  little  difficulty  in  obtaining  all  needed 

information.  Tickets  are  provided  gratis  and  admit  always 
to  the  best  seats,  known  as  the  press  seats,  or  the  press-box, 
where  all  the  newspaper  men  are  grouped  together.  If  the 
contest  is  an  outdoor  meet,  the  press-box  is  usually  on  the 
top  of  the  bleachers.  Here  are  installed  telegraph  and  tele- 
phone wires,  the  papers  often  having  private  wires  from  their 
offices  to  the  field.  If  the  wires  have  not  been  installed  and 
it  is  necessary  to  report  between  quarters  or  halves,  or  inning 
by  inning,  one  should  have  the  local  telegraph  company 
provide  at  least  two  messengers  to  take  the  bulletins  as  fast 
as  one  writes  them.  And  one's  notes  should  be  so  taken 
that  the  bulletins  may  be  given  the  messengers  within  a  few 
seconds  after  it  is  possible  to  report. 

249.  Personal  Opinion  in  Sporting  Stories.  —  On  page  165 
mention  was  made  of  four  kinds  of  sporting  news  stories, 
and  the  reader's  attention  was  called  to  the  fact  that  three 
of  the  four  —  those  dealing  with  athletic  events  before  their 

1  Atlanta  Constitution,  October  22,  1915. 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


occurrence,  those  dealing  with  the  same  events  afterwarc 
and  those  relating  to  sports  in  general  —  vary  somewha 
from  the  normal  type  of  newspaper  story.     This  varianc 
lies  in  the  fact  that  the  three  are  hybrids,  partaking  of  th 
nature  of  both  the  pure  news  story  and  the  editorial.    In  ar 
earlier  chapter  we  have  seen  that  the  purpose  of  the  new 
story  is  to  present  news;  of  the  editorial,  to  interpret.     W 
have  seen  that  the  avowed  purpose  of  the  editorial  is  to  in- 
fluence opinion.     And  so  with  these  three  types.    They  ma] 
be  either  presenters  or  interpreters  of  sporting  news,  or  botl 
In  the  following  story  the  writer  is  bent  on  telling  the  lineu] 
of  the  Michigan  team  for  the  game  against  Cornell,  the  con- 
dition of  the  men,  etc.,  but  he  is  also  bent  on  proving  to  his 
readers  that  Michigan  has  a  chance  to  win,  —  which  makes 
his  story  half  editorial  and  half  news. 

MICHIGAN    HAS    A    CHANCE 

Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  Nov.  5.  —  (Special). — 
We  might  lead  this  story  with  something 
original  and  say  that  both  teams  were  await- 
ing the  whistle.  Instead,  we  will  be  unique  and 
assert  that  Michigan  has  a  chance  to  win. 

A  victory  over  Cornell  would  make  a  suc- 
cess of  a  season  that  has  a  good  start  toward 
being  a  failure.  Michigan's  chance  for  victory 
depends  on  its  line.  There  is  grave  doubt  in 
the  minds  of  some  that  Michigan  has  a  line. 
Yost  believes  it  has,  because  he  has  seen  his 
center,  his  two  guards,  and  his  two  tackles 
charge  and  block  in  practice.  He  hasn't  seen 
them  do  anything  in  games  but  look  sick.  But 
he  knows  they  can  do  something  else  and  he  is 
wondering  if  to-morrow  will  be  the  day  when 
they  prove  it  to  the  public  and  to  Cornell. 

If  the  Michigan  line  should  play  tomorrow 
as  it  played  against  the  Aggies  and  against 
Syracuse,  the  best  back  field  in  the  land  would 
be  null  and  void.  But  if  the  Michigan  line 
comes  to  life,  performs  as  it  has  done  when 
Assistant  Coaches  Schultz,  Almendinger  and 
Raynsford  were  scrimmaging  against  it  and 
using  all  the  words  they  knew  as  lashes  to  drivo 


SPORTS 


193 


it  to  action,  then  Cornell  will  find  itself  up 
against  the  toughest  foe  it  has  faced  this  year. 

Yost  admits  he  has  a  good  back  field.  His 
combination  of  one  senior,  one  junior  and  one 
sophomore  —  Catlett,  Maulbetsch  and  Smith  — 
would,  he  believes,  gain  acres  of  ground  against 
any  team  in  the  country  if  the  line  would  give 
them  half  a  chance. 

Smith,  to  be  sure,  is  in  bad  shape.  He  is 
going  to  start  the  game,  but  few  expect  him 
to  last  through.  Bay  City  gave  him  to  Michi- 
gan, and  before  he  was  hurt  he  showed  enough 
to  convince  his  coach  that  he  has  the  makings 
of  another  Gait. 

He  is  of  the  versatile  type,  and  besides 
being  a  good  ground  gamer  himself,  he  is  of 
great  assistance  as  an  interferer  and  a  handy 
man  on  defense.  He  backs  up  the  line  when 
the  other  side  has  the  ball.  At  present  almost 
everything  ails  him,  save  possibly  barber's  itch 
and  the  h.  and  m.  disease  that  helped  make 
Niles  famous. 

Maulbetsch,  Yost  says,  is  a  better  defensive 
man  than  last  year.  As  for  his  plunging 
prowess,  he  is  probably  just  as  classy  as  ever, 
but  a  man  can't  plunge  very  far  when  two  or 
three  opposing  linemen  are  sitting  on  him,  as 
they  were  in  the  M.  A.  C.  and  Syracuse  games. 

Catlett  is  a  streak  of  speed,  and  since  this  is 
his  third  year  of  varsity  football,  he  is  playing 
more  intelligently  than  ever.  Roehm,  the 
quarterback,  was  one  of  Hughitt's  understudies 
last  season.  He  is  light,  but  fast  and  willing. 

Thus  in  the  back  field  we  have  a  good  all 
round  man,  a  wonderful  line  plunger,  a  speed 
demon,  and  an  agile,  hard  worker.  All  of 
which  assets  won't  be  worth  a  yesterday's 
transfer  unless  the  line  holds.  .  .  .x 

250.  Advance  Stories.  —  The  details  which  one  may  in- 
clude in  advance  stories  of  athletic  meets  are  innumerable. 
Some  of  the  more  important  particulars,  however,  are  pre- 
dictions of  the  outcome,  the  effect  of  the  contest  on  future 
events  or  on  the  rank  of  the  teams,  names  of  the  players  and 

1  Ring  W.  Lardner  in  the  Chicago  Tribune,  November  6,  1915. 


194 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


the  officials,  absence  of  important  men,  opinions  of  the  mei 
their  trainers,  or  their  followers,  weak  spots  in  their  play 
local  or  national  interest,  time  and  place  of  the  contest,  way 
of  reaching  the  field  or  grounds,  —  in  fact,  any  details  thai 
will  interest  one's  readers  in  the  approaching  game.  Sue] 
preliminary  writeups  require  good  reporters  —  men  who  car 
observe  closely  and  analyze  carefully,  and  hence  can  gm 
their  readers  reasonable  predictions  of  the  success  of  the  team: 
in  which  they  are  interested.  The  following  may  be  takei: 
as  a  typical  preliminary  story: 

PROMINENT    OFFICIALS    AT    GAME 
TO-DAY 


,    Facts  About  To-day's  Football  Game 

Teams  — Army  and  Navy. 

Place  —  Polo  Grounds. 

Time  —  2  p.  M. 

Corps  of  Cadets  and  Brigade  of  Midship- 
men march  on  the  field  —  i  to  1.30  ?.  M. 

Weather  Forecast  —  Fair  and  warm;  rain 
late  in  the  afternoon  or  night. 

Routes  to  the  Grounds  —  Eighth  and  Ninth 
Avenue  "L"  and  Broadway  subway. 

Directions  for  Finding  Seats  —  On  the  back 
of  each  ticket  are  printed  directions  for  locating 
the  seats  in  the  various  sections 


When  the  referee's  whistle  sends  the  Army 
and  Navy  teams  charging  into  each  other  this 
afternoon  at  the  Polo  Grounds,  most  of  the 
United  States  government  officials,  army,  navy 
and  marine  corps  officers  will  be  gathered  in  the 
seats  and  boxes  around  the  sidelines  to  cheer 
19 15*3  football  season  on  to  its  death  in  the 
spectacularly  most  brilliant  game  of  the  year. 

President  Wilson,  doomed  again  to  neu- 
trality, will  divide  his  time  between  the  Army 
and  Navy  sides  of  the  field.  Mrs.  Gait  will  ar- 
rive with  him  shortly  before  i  o'clock  on  the 
train  which  brings  besides  them  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  distinguished  delegations  of 
government  officials,  army  and  navy  officers, 
who  ever  saw  an  Army-Navy  game. 


SPORTS 


195 


Secretary  Garrison  will  be  whooping  it  up 
for  the  Army  on  the  cadets'  side  of  the  field. 
Secretary  Daniels,  reinforced  by  his  twenty- 
one-year  old  son,  will  be  right  there  where  the 
Blue  and  Gold  of  the  Navy  waves,  and  take  it 
from  the  Navy  this  Secretary  is  some  rooter 
when  he  gets  going. 

Secretary  McAdoo  will  be  there  —  but  why 
attempt  to  name  all  or  many  of  the  prominent 
folk.  Cabinet  officers,  admirals  and  generals, 
all  take  a  back  seat  to-day.  In  the  full  glare 
of  the  limelight  stand  the  twenty-two  gridiron 
fighters  from  West  Point  and  Annapolis.  To- 
day there  is  only  one  firing  line;  it's  the  chalk- 
marked  field  at  the  Polo  Grounds. 

The  Midshipmen  arrived  here  Thursday 
and  went  to  the  Vanderbilt  yesterday.  The 
Army  team,  coaches,  trainers,  and  advance 
delegation  of  officers  arrived,  making  the 
Hotel  Astor  their  headquarters.  Every  train 
from  Washington,  from  Annapolis,  from  West 
Point,  which  pulled  into  New  York  thereafter 
was  packed  with  Army  and  Navy  adherents. 

And  Broadway  was  ready  with  its  usual 
welcome.  The  Vandervilt,  Astor,  Waldorf, 
McAlpin,  and  Martinique  were  profusely 
decorated  with  the  flags  and  with  Army  and 
Navy  colors.  Generals  met  cub  lieutenants 
in  the  cafe's  and  dining-rooms  (where  seats  had 
been  reserved  both  for  last  night  and  to-night 
weeks  in  advance),  all  eager  to  get  some  late 
"dope"  on  the  game. 

Store  fronts  were  gay  with  the  Navy  Blue 
and  Gold  and  the  Army  Black  and  Gold  and 
Gray;  street  hawkers  were  disposing  of  the 
winning  colors.  New  York  was  on  its  biannual 
football  spree  last  night.  The  Army  and 
Navy  were  in  town.  .  .  . 

Betting?  Well,  as  a  Navy  man  put  it, 
"We've  got  a  few  iron  men  with  us."  Yes, 
they  all  came  "heeled."  Navy  men  are  ask- 
ing 2  to  i  and  getting  it  in  spots.  But  as  the 
hours  slipped  by  and  the  old  Army-Navy  feel- 
ing grew,  there  was  no  telling  the  odds  —  each 
man  bet  as  the  impulse  of  the  moment  prompted 
him,  anywhere  from  3  to  i  to  even  money. 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


Probable  Line-up  To-day 

Army  Wgt.  Navy  *Wgt- 

Neyland 170  L.E  Von  H'mb'g 180 

Jones 200  L.T  Ward 177 

O'hare 192   L.G   Kercher 185 

McEwan 192   C.       Goodstein 172 

Meacham 176  R.G   Smith 199 

Weyand 197   R.T   Gilman 187 

Redfield 163   R.E  Johnson 169 

Gerhardt 145  Q.B   Craig 147 

Ford 171   L.H  Westphal 184 

Oliphant 163  R.H  Davis 153 

Coffin 162  F.B   Martin 161 

T'l  weight  1 93 1  Ibs.  T'l  weight  1 9 1 4  Ibs. 

Avg.  wgt.,  175.6  Ibs.  Avg.  wgt.,  174  Ibs. 

Referee,  W.  S.  Langford,  Trinity;  umpire,  F.  W. 
Murphy,  Brown;  field  judge,  J.  A.  Evans,  Williams; 
head 'linesman,  Carl  Marshall,  Harvard.1 

251.  Review  Stories.  —  Stories  written  days  after  a  game 
are  generally  of  an  analytical  nature,  their  purpose  being  to 
review  the  play  or  contest  and  explain  why  one  team  or  con- 
testant was  successful  and  the  other  a  failure,  or  why  one 
method  of  play,  attack,  or  defense  proved  better  than  others. 
Sometimes,  however,  such  stories  are  merely  individual  in- 
cidents learned  late,  but  of  interest  nevertheless  to  the  readers. 
An  analytical  story  is  the  following: 

NEW  RULES  UPSET  TEAMS 

With  the  advent  of  October,  the  month 
which  generally  ushers  in  the  football  seasons, 
the  defeat  of  Yale  by  Virginia  was  one  of  the 
most  conspicuous  cases  of  the  old  adage  that 
history  will  repeat  itself  in  football  as  well  as 
in  any  other  line  of  athletic  endeavor. 

In  former  years  supposedly  stronger  elevens 
have  met  with  unexpected  setbacks  from  teams 
which  were  thought  to  be  only  tools  in  the  help- 
ful development  of  the  big  elevens  for  the 
harder  and  more  important  contests  to  be 
played  later  in  the  season.  In  the  old  days  of 
the  five-yard  rule  and  mass  play,  schedules 
could  be  outlined  with  so  much  accuracy  that 

1  New  York  World,  November  27,  1916. 


SPORTS 


197 


a  coach  or  athletic  director  seldom  made  mis- 
takes in  his  schedules. 

In  those  days  the  chart  was  framed  so  that 
each  succeeding  game  would  be  harder  to  win. 
.  .  .  The  teams  were  sent  into  the  game  to 
test  the  pet  plays  of  the  coaches,  such  as  the 
revolving  mass  on  tackle,  hard  concentrated 
attacks  on  and  off  the  tackles,  with  the  runner 
being  pushed  and  pulled  by  his  teammates.  .  .  . 

If  plays  as  outlined  by  the  coaches  did  not 
make  the  necessary  distances,  then  the  teams 
practically  settled  down  to  a  man  to  man  con- 
test, and  football  history  records  the  number  of 
games  which  ended  either  in  scoreless  ties  or 
knotted  counts. 

Following  this  old  custom,  the  big  teams 
select  the  opponents  who  in  the  old  days  were 
easy  to  beat  in  the  first  games.  It  is  true  some 
changes  have  been  made  in  schedules,  but  it  is 
only  reasonable  to  assume  that  the  coach  of  a 
large  eleven  would  be  foolish  to  schedule  an 
opening  contest  with  a  team  which  he  thought 
had  a  chance  to  beat  his  own  aggregation. 

Using  Yale  as  an  example,  the  authorities 
at  New  Haven  would  never  have  scheduled  the 
Virginia  game  unless  they  thought  in  their  own 
minds  that  Old  Eli  would  trot  off  the  field  an 
easy  winner.  On  the  last  Saturday  in  Septem- 
ber the  Blue  eleven  had  an  easy  time  winning 
from  Maine,  37  to  o. 

Following  the  changes  in  the  rules,  coaches 
nowadays  cannot  afford  to  take  a  chance  with 
any  team,  whether  they  have  a  heavy,  strong 
team  or  a  well  balanced  eleven.  The  players 
do  not  get  accustomed  to  the  excitement  of 
actual  combat  so  early  in  the  season,  and  the 
least  little  thing  which  goes  wrong  in  their  of- 
fensive or  defensive  play  will  unbalance  them 
for  the  remainder  of  the  contest. 

Harvard,  last  year's  eastern  champion,  was 
compelled  to  play  a  lot  of  football  to  win  from 
the  Massachusetts  Aggies  by  a  single  touchdown. 
Had  Percy  Haughton,  the  Crimson  coach, 
thought  his  team  would  experience  such  a  hard 
game  so  early  in  the  season,  the  contest  would 
not  have  been  listed.  The  Crimson  eleven,  in 
other  words,  was  opposed  by  a  team  which  had 


198  TYPES  OF  STORIES 

been  thoroughly  groomed  in  every  department 
of  the  game,  the  Aggies  apparently  realizing 
what  a  victory  would  mean  to  them.1  .  .  . 

252.  General  Stories.  —  The  last  type  of  sporting  news 
story,  that  relating  to  a  sport  only  in  a  general  way,  may  be 
considered  briefly.  In  this  type  the  actual  news  value  is 
small.  The  interest  of  the  story  lies  rather  in  its  informative 
worth,  the  writer's  purpose  being  to  present  general,  but 
significant,  facts  that  will  interest  followers  of  the  sport. 
Usually  it  is  expository.  Its  nature  is  well  illustrated  by 
the  following  subjects  chosen  practically  at  random :  "  Batters 
in  the  American  Association  Weaker  in  1916  than  in  1915"; 
"Title  Holders  in  the  Ring  Play  Safety  First— Refuse  Long 
Battles";  "Tennis  Gaining  in  Popularity";  "Is  Baseball  a 
Back  Number?";  "Any  Man  Can  Play  Par  Golf";  "Ty 
Cobb's  Place  in  Baseball  History."  Such  stories  are  valuable 
in  the  Sunday  edition,  and  in  addition  to  giving  general  sur- 
veys of  various  sports,  help  to  interest  readers  when  athletic 
news  is  scarce.  They  are  the  feature  stories  of  sports. 

i  Walter  H.  Eckersall  in  the  Chicago  Tribune,  October  10,  1915.  . 


XVII.     SOCIETY 

253.  What  Society  News  Is.  -  -  The  society  editor's  work 
concerns  itself  with  the  social  and  personal  news  of  the  city 
and  county  in  which  the  paper  is  published  or  from  which 
it  draws  its  patronage.     It  is  almost  entirely  local,  news  of 
the  state  or  of  other  cities  being  of  value  only  in  so  far  as  it 
affects  women  and  men  of  one's  own  town  through  former 
exchanges  of  courtesy  or  hospitality,  or  for  similar  causes. 
Nor   does   it   concern   itself   with  the  unconventional,  the 
abnormal.     Elopements,  clandestine  marriages,  unusual  en- 
gagements, freakish  parties,  and  similar  extraordinary  social 
and  personal  news  do  not  come  within  the  sphere  of  the 
society  editor,  but   take  regular,  and  usually  prominent, 
places  in  the  news  columns. 

254.  Difficulty.  -  -  The  society  editor's  work  is  with  the 
conventional  in  the  local  fashionable  world,  and  for  this 
reason  probably  no  other  kind  of  news  demands  so  con- 
sistent care,  discrimination,  and  habitual  restraint.     She  - 
the  society  editor  is  practically  always  a  woman  —  must 
recognize  readily  relative  social  distinctions,  to  know  what 
names  and  functions  to  feature  in  her  column  or  section, 
and  to  be  able  to  present  the  details  of  those  functions  ac- 
ceptably to  the  various  social  groups  about  which  and  for 
which  she  is  writing.     The  latter  requisite  in  particular  is 
difficult.     For  in  attempting  to  give  appreciative  accounts 
of  weddings,  dances,  receptions,  she  is  liable  to  overstep  the 
narrow  limits  of  conventional  usage  and  make  herself  ridicu- 
lous by  extravagance  of  statement;  or  else,  in  trying  to  avoid 


2OO     - 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


unnecessary  display  of  enthusiasm,  she  is  led  into  use  of  trite, 
colorless  words  and  stock  phrases.  She  must  by  all  means 
take  care  not  to  say  that  "the  handsome  groom  wearing 
the  conventional  black  and  the  lovely  bride  arrayed  in  a 
charming  creation  of  white  satin  consummated  their  sacred 
nuptial  vows  amid  banks  of  fragrant  lilies  and  beautiful, 
blushing  roses  to  the  melodious  strains  of  Mendelssohn's 
entrancing  wedding  march." 

255.  Illustrations.  -  -  The  following  stories  of  engage- 
ments, weddings,  dinners,  dances,  receptions,  club  meetings, 
and  charity  benefits  have  been  selected  at  random  to  show 
the  accepted  methods  of  handling  society  write-ups.  At 
the  end  are  added  a  few  personal  items  —  personals,  they 
are  generally  termed  —  and  a  single  "society  review." 
The  restraint  and  dignity  of  tone  of  the  stories  are  worth 
close  study. 


ENGAGEMENTS 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  A.  Stewart,  of  311 
North  Parkside  Avenue,  announce  the  engage- 
ment of  their  daughter,  Gladys,  to  Charles  M. 
Sailor,  a  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel  Sailor, 
of  25  South  Central  Boulevard. 

The  first  debutante  of  the  season  to  become 
engaged  is  Miss  Bessie  Allen,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  George  Osborne  Allen,  whose  engage- 
ment to  Harry  O.  Best  was  announced  Satur- 
day. Mr.  Best  is  a  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
George  R.  Best,  of  131  East  Fifty-fourth  street. 
He  was  graduated  from  Harvard  in  1913  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Knickerbocker  Club  of  this 
city,  and  also  of  the  Balustrol  Golf  Club.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Best  and  Flom,  136 
Walker  Street.  Mr.  Best  is  the  third  in  direct 
line  to  bear  his  name,  being  a  grandson  of  the 
late  George  R.  Best,  one  of  the  most  noted 
architects  of  this  city.  The  wedding  will  take 
place  in  the  spring. 


SOCIETY 


201 


WEDDING  ANNOUNCEMENTS 

In  the  Church  of  the  Heavenly  Rest  on  Tues- 
day afternoon  at  3:30  will  be  celebrated  the 
wedding  of  Miss  Doris  Ryer,  daughter  of  Mrs. 
Fletcher  Ryer  of  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  to  Stan- 
hope Wood  Nixon,  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewis 
Nixon.  The  wedding  ceremony  will  be  wit- 
nessed by  a  large  number  of  relatives  and  friends 
from  California  and  several  of  the  principal 
Eastern  cities  where  the  families  of  both  the 
bride  and  her  fiance  are  prominent. 

Gov.  Charles  S.  Whitman  is  to  act  as  Miss 
Ryer's  sponsor  and  will  give  her  away.  Miss 
Phyllis  de  Young,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Michael  H.  de  Young  of  San  Francisco,  will  be 
the  maid  of  honor  and  the  bridesmaids  will  be 
the  Misses  Pauline  Disston  of  Philadelphia, 
Ray  Slater  of  Boston,  Mary  Moreland  of  Pitts- 
burg,  Elizabeth  Sands  of  Newport,  Frances 
Moore  of  Washington,  and  Helen  Flake  of  this 
city. 

Walbridge  S.  Taft  wiU  be  the  best  man.  The 
ushers  will  be  Henry  S.  Ladew,  Patrick  Calhoun, 
Henry  Rogers  Benjamin,  Ammi  Wright  Lan- 
cashire, Esmond  P.  O'Brien  and  Hugh  D. 
Cotton. 

Following  the  wedding  ceremony  there  will 
be  a  reception  in  the  ballroom  of  the  Ritz- 
Carlton.  The  engagement  of  Miss  Ryer  and 
Mr.  Nixon  was  announced  last  autumn.  The 
bride-to-be  has  passed  the  greater  part  of  the 
last  two  winters  in  New  York  with  her  mother 
and  during  the  summer  season  has  been  identi- 
fied with  the  colony  in  Newport,  R.  I.1 

WEDDING 

Miss  Celia  Cravis,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Myer  Cravis,  of  1817  North  Thirty-second 
Street,  became  the  bride  of  Harry  Cassman, 
of  Atlantic  City,  Thursday.  The  ceremony 
was  performed  at  6:30  o'clock  in  the  evening 
in  the  green  room  of  the  Adelphi  Hotel  by  the 
Rev.  Marvin  Nathan,  assisted  by  the  Rev. 
Armin  Rosenberg. 

lNew  York  Sun,  January  21,  1917. 


202 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


The  father  of  the  bride  gave  her  in  marriage. 
Her  gown  of  white  satin  was  given  a  frosted 
effect  by  crystal  bead  embroidery  and  was  made 
with  court  train.  Her  tulle  veil  was  held  by  a 
bandeau  of  lilies  of  the  valley.  A  white  prayer 
book  was  carried  and  also  a  bouquet  of  orchids, 
gardenias  and  lilies  of  the  valley. 

The  maid  of  honor  was  Miss  Katherine 
Abrahams,  wearing  blue  satin  trimmed  with 
silver.  She  carried  a  double  shower  bouquet 
of  tea  roses  and  lilies  of  the  valley,  and  a  yellow 
ostrich  feather  fan,  the  gift  of  the  bride. 

The  bridesmaids,  Miss  Estelle  Freeman, 
Miss  Tillie  Greenhouse,  Miss  Estelle  Sacks  and 
Miss  Leonore  Printz,  were  dressed  in  frocks  of 
different  pastel  shades,  ranging  white,  pink, 
blue  and  violet.  Each  carried  a  basket  of  roses 
and  a^pink  feather  fan.  Miss  Madeline  Cravis 
and  Miss  Sylvia  Gravan,  the  flower  girls,  wore 
pink  and  carried  baskets  of  pink  roses. 

Herbert  W.  Salus  acted  as  best  man.  The 
ushers  were  Lewis  E.  Stern  and  Walter  Han- 
stein,  of  Atlantic  City;  I.  S.  Cravis  and  Henry 
Gotlieb. 

A  reception  for  about  250  guests  followed 
the  ceremony.  After  a  tour  of  the  South,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Cassman  will  be  at  217  South  Seaside 
Avenue,  Atlantic  City.1 

TEAS,  DINNERS,  LUNCHEONS 

Miss  Alice  Williams,  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Edward  T.  Williams,  was  presented  to 
society  yesterday  afternoon  at  a  tea  in  the 
home  of  her  parents,  1901  Eighteenth  Street. 
Miss  Williams  was  born  in  Shanghai,  China, 
during  her  father's  connection  with  the  United 
States  legation  there,  and  she  has  lived  most 
of  her  life  in  the  Orient.  Mr.  Wijliams  was 
charge  d'affaires  of  the  United  States  at  the  time 
of  the  recognition  of  the  new  Chinese  republic. 
At  the  time  of  the  outbreak  of  the  war  in 
Europe  Miss  Williams  was  a  student  in  Paris. 
Mr.  Williams  is  now  the  head  of  the  Bureau 
of  Far  Eastern  Affairs  in  the  State  Department. 

Mrs.  Williams  presented  her  daughter,  with 

i  Philadelphia,  Publiq  Ledger,  December  17,  1916. 


SOCIETY 


203 


no  assistants  save  three  of  her  daughter's  young 
friends,  Miss  Helen  Miller,  Miss  Virginia  Puller 
and  Miss  Ethel  Christiensen,  who  presided  in 
the  dining  room.  The  drawing  room  and 
dining  room  were  both  transformed  into  bowers 
of  blossoms,  sent  to  the  debutante,  which  were 
charmingly  arranged.  Mrs.  Miller  wore  a  grace- 
ful gown  of  black  net  and  lace  over  black  satin. 
The  debutante  wore  a  becoming  costume  of 
rose  silk  and  silver  trimming  and  carried  sweet 
peas  a  portion  of  the  afternoon,  and  the  bunch 
of  roses  sent  by  Mrs.  Lansing,  wife  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  State,  the  rest  of  the  time.  Miss  Miller 
and  Miss  Christiensen  were  each  in  white  net 
and  tulle  and  Miss  Puller  wore  blue  and  white.1 

Mrs.  Fred  Enderly,  who  has  recently  returned 
after  a  long  absence  in  the  East,  was  specially 
honored  with  a  Halloween  birthday  dinner  given 
by  Mrs.  Lottie  Logan,  of  No.  1532  Ingraham 
Street  Tuesday  evening.  The  table  was  in 
yellow,  with  a  floral  center  of  chrysanthemums 
and  favors  of  black  cats,  diminutive  pumpkin 
people  and  other  suggestive  Halloween  conceits. 
The  guests  were  whisked  up  to  the  dressing- 
rooms  by  a  witch,  and  Mrs.  George  H.  Rector, 
attired  in  somber  soothsayer's  robes,  told 
fortunes.  Place-cards  were  written  for  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Enderly,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Archibald  Hart, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Rector,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Henry  Henderson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Mc- 
Daniel,  Mrs.  Fred  Detmer,  Miss  Wilhelmina 
Rector,  Miss  Talcot,  Messrs.  Mark  Ellis,  Jack 
Bushnell,  L.  D.  Maescher  and  O.  H.  Logan.2 

RECEPTION 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  V.  Black  of  Broad- 
way, Irvington,  gave  a  reception  this  afternoon 
for  their  debutante  daughter,  Miss  Latjerome 
Black.  Receiving  with  Mrs.  Black  were  Mrs. 
P.  F.  Llewellyn  Chambers,  Mrs.  Frederick 
Sayles,  Mrs.  Charles  Coombs,  Mrs.  Benjamin 
Prince,  Mrs.  Theodosia  Bailey,  Mrs.  Charles 
Hope,  Miss  Caramai  Carroll,  Miss  Dorothy 

1  Washington  Post,  November  26,  1916. 
zLos  Angeles  Times,  November  5,  1916. 


204 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


Brown,  Mrs.  Robert  C.  Black  and  Miss 
Dorothy  Black.  Receiving  with  Miss  Black 
were  the  Misses  Marion  Townsend,  Helen 
Sayles,  Dorothy  Clifford,  Marion  Becker, 
Helen  Geer,  and  Genevieve  Clendenin.  Miss 
Black  wore  a  dress  of  white  silk  embroidery 
and  pink  roses.  The  decorations  were  of 
autumn  leaves  and  chrysanthemums. 

Among  the  guests  were  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Albert 
Shaw,  Mrs.  Edwin  Gould,  Mrs.  Howard 
Carroll,  Mrs.  Finley  J.  Shepard,  Miss  Anne 
Depew  Paulding,  Mrs.  William  Carter,  Miss 
Millette,  Mrs.  John  Luke,  Mrs.  Adam  Luke, 
Mrs.  H.  D.  Eastabrook,  Mrs.  John  D.  Arch- 
bold,  Mrs.  Henry  Graves,  and  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
D.  Russell.1 

DANCE 

Elaboration  of  detail  marked  the  oriental 
ball  given  by  the  Sierra  Madre  Club  at  its  rooms 
in  the  Investment  Building  last  evening.  More 
than  400  members  and  guests  attended  in  garb 
of  the  Far  East  —  costumes  whose  values  ran 
far  into  the  hundreds.  The  club  rooms  were 
draped  in  a  bewildering  manner  with  tapestry 
of  the  Celestial  Empire  and  the  land  of 
Nippon,  and  the  rugs  of  Turkey  and  Arabia. 

It  was  a  most  colorful  event  —  sultans  robed 
in  many  colors  with  bejeweled  turbans; 
Chinese  mandarins  in  long  flowing  coats; 
bearded  Moors,  who  danced  with  Geisha  girls  of 
Japan,  gowned  in  multi-colored  silken  kimonos; 
petite  China  maids  in  silken  pantaloons  and 
bobtailed  jackets;  Salome  dancers  of  the  East, 
in  baggy  bloomers  and  jeweled  corsages,  and 
harem  houris  in  dazzling  draperies. 

Preceding  the  dancing,  a  remarkable  dinner, 
featuring  the  choicest  foods  of  the  Orient,  was 
served  by  attendants  wearing  the  dress  of 
Chinese  coolies.  The  rare  old  syrups  of  the 
Orient  were  enjoyed  by  the  diners,  while  the 
fragrant  odor  of  burning  incense  lent  an  air  of 
subtle  mysticism. 

Among  the  400  guests  present  were:2 

1  New  York  Sun,  September  24,  1915. 

2  Los  Angeles  Times,  February  18,  1917. 


SOCIETY 


205 


CLUB  MEETING 

At  this  week's  meeting  of  the  New  England 
Women's  Press  Association,  Miss  Helen  M. 
Winslow,  chairman  of  the  programme  com- 
mittee, presented  Joseph  Edgar  Chamberlin 
of  The  Transcript,  who  spoke  on  "The  Work 
of  Women  in  Journalism."  Mr.  Chamberlin 
gave  many  personal  reminiscences  of  women 
writers  whom  he  had  known  in  his  connection 
with  various  publications.  He  expressed  re- 
gret that  women  are  not  doing  more  in  editorial 
work,  as  in  the  earlier  years  of  their  entrance 
into  the  newspaper  field,  and  the  belief  that 
it  would  be  of  advantage  to  journalism  and  to 
the  public  if  they  gave  more  attention  to  writ- 
ing of  this  character  rather  than  that  directed 
almost  exclusively  for  women's,  departments 
and  others  of  superficial  value.  Mr.  Chamber- 
lin paid  especial  compliment  to  the  work  of 
Margaret  Buchanan  Sullivan,  Jeannette  Gilder, 
Jennie  June  Croly  and  Kate  Field.  Mr. 
Chamberlin  spoke  in  high  praise  of  Miss 
Cornelia  M.  Walter  (afterward  Mrs.  W.  B. 
Richards)  who  was  editor-in-chief  and  had  full 
charge  of  The  Transcript  from  1842  to  1847. 
The  executive  board  voted  to  co-operate  with 
the  Travelers'  Aid  Society  and  Mrs.  Ralph  M. 
Kirtland  was  elected  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee to  formulate  plans.1 

CHARITY  BENEFIT 

On  Thursday  afternoon  at  4  o'clock  Mrs. 
W.  K.  Vanderbilt  of  660  Fifth  Avenue  will  open 
her  house  for  a  benefit  entertainment  in  aid  of 
the  Appuiaux  Artistes  of  France.  Viscountess 
de  Rancougne  is  to  give  her  talk  on  the  work 
being  done  in  the  French  and  Belgian  hospitals 
and  in  the  bombarded  towns  and  villages, 
illustrated  with  colored  slides  from  photographs 
taken  by  herself.  An  interesting  musical 
program  also  has  been  arranged  for  the  after- 
noon, with  Miss  Callish,  Mr.  de  Warlich,  and 
Carlos  Salzedo  appearing.  Mrs.  Kenneth 
Frazier  of  58  East  Seventy-eighth  Street  is 

1  Boston  Transcript,  December  9,  1916. 


206 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


receiving  applications  for  tickets  at  $5  each. 
On  the  Executive  Committee  are  Kenneth 
Frazier,  Ernest  Peixotto,  Edwin  H.  Blashfield, 
Charles  Dana  Gibson,  Joseph  H.  Hunt,  and 
Janet  Scudder.  Mrs.  W.  Bourke  Cockran, 
Mrs.  Howard  Gushing,  Mrs.  E.  H.  Harriman, 
Mrs.  Philip  M.  Lydig,  Mrs.  H.  P.  Whitney, 
and  Miss  Grace  Bigelow  make  up  the  com- 
mittee in  charge.1 

PERSONALS 

Mrs.  Robert  R.  Livingston  and  her  son, 
Robert  R.  Livingston,  have  returned  from  a 
trip  to  the  Pacific  Coast  and  are  at  their  town 
house,  ii  .Washington  Square  North,  until  they 
open  Northwood,  the  Livingston  estate  near 
Cheviot-on-Hudson.  They  spent  about  six 
weeks'  on  the  coast. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  Oliver  Iselin  will  return  to 
their  country  place  at  Glen  Head,  L.  I.,  late  in 
April  for  the  early  summer.  They  are  now 
occupying  Hopelands,  their  place  at  Aiken,  S.  C. 

Mrs.  and  Mr.  Francis  de  R.  Wissmann  have 
returned  from  a  trip  of  some  weeks  to  San 
Francisco  and  have  been  at  the  Gotham  for  a 
few  days  before  opening  Adelslea  at  Throgs 
Neck,  Westchester,  for  the  summer. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  J.  Nevett  Steele  of  122  West 
Seventy-sixth  Street,  vicar  of  St.  Paul's  Chapel, 
who  has  been  ill  with  pneumonia  since  March  13, 
is  now  convalescing  and  will  soon  be  able  to 
resume  his  church  duties. 

A  son  was  born  yesterday  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Theodore  Roosevelt,  Jr.,  at  their  home,  165 
East  Seventy-fourth  Street.  The  child  is  a 
grandson  of  Col.  Theodore  Roosevelt  and  will 
be  named  Cornelius  Van  Schaick  Roosevelt, 
after  his  great-great-grandfather.  This  is  the 
third  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roosevelt.  Their 
first  boy,  Theodore  Roosevelt,  III,  was  born 
June  14,  1914.  Mrs.  Roosevelt  was  Miss 
Eleanor  B.  Alexander,  daughter  of  Mrs.  Henry 
Addison  Alexander  of  1840  Park  Avenue. 


1  New  York  Times,  February  20,  1916. 


SOCIETY 


207 


SOCIETY  IN  PROSPECT  AND  REVIEW 

Never  has  a  Washington  season  begun  so 
early  as  this  one.  The  middle  of  December 
finds  the  White  House  dinners  in  full  sway,  the 
President  and  Mrs.  Wilson  having  dined  with 
the  Vice  President  and  Mrs.  Marshall,  and  the 
first  state  reception  of  the  season  in  the  White 
House  due  in  two  days. 

President  and  Mrs.  Wilson  already  have  had 
three  large  and  formal  dinner  parties,  the  first 
one  on  December  7,  in  honor  of  Mr.  Vance 
McCormick,  chairman  of  the  Democratic 
national  committee;  and  on  Tuesday  of  last 
week  they  entertained  the  Vice  President  and 
the  members  of  the  cabinet  and  their  wives, 
with  a  number  of  other  distinguished  guests 
and  a  few  young  people.  After  this  dinner  a 
programme  of  music  was  given  in  the  east  room 
and  the  evening  was  a  charming  success.  The 
First  Lady  of  the  Land  never  was  more  lovely 
than  she  was  on  this  occasion.  The  President's 
niece,  Miss  Alice  Wilson,  of  Baltimore,  came 
over  with  her  father  for  the  evening.  Miss 
Nataline  Dulles,  niece  of  Mrs.  Lansing,  made 
her  first  appearance  at  a  state  dinner,  and  Miss 
Margaret  Wilson  and  Miss  Bones  were  among 
the  guests.  On  Thursday  evening  the  visiting 
governors,  former  governors  and  governors- 
elect  here  for  the  conference  this  week,  and 
their  wives,  were  dined,  with  an  interesting 
company.  Friday  evening  the  Vice  President 
and  Mrs.  Marshall  gave  their  annual  dinner  to 
the  President  and  his  wife,  and  had  a  senatorial 
company  to  meet  them. 

The  debutantes  are  in  the  full  splendor  of 
their  glory,  and  the  next  three  weeks  will  give 
them  a  supreme  test  of  endurance,  for  luncheons, 
teas,  dinners  and  dances  not  only  follow  one 
another  closely,  but  pile  up,  with  several  in  a 
day  and  not  one  to  be  neglected.  There  are  no 
diplomatic  buds,  no  cabinet  buds,  and  few 
army,  navy  and  congressional  buds.  But  it  is 
a  strong  residential  year,  with  a  number  of  de- 
butantes in  the  smartest  and  most  exclusive 
of  the  substantial  old  families.  During  the 
Christmas  holidays  the  buds  of  the  future,  some 


208 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


of  a  year  hence,  others  of  two  years,  are  vying 
with  the  older  girls  for  busy  days,  and  the 
social  calendar  shows  scarcely  a  resting  moment 
from  the  day  they  come  home  from  school  until 
they  rush  back  to  their  studies  in  time  to  reach 
the  first  recitation  class.  And  as  for  beauty 
sleep,  there  will  be  none.  There  will  not  be  a 
night  during  the  Christmas  vacation  when  this 
younger  set  will  not  be  dancing.  Time  was 
when  dinner  parties  were  composed  of  elderly, 
or  at  least  middle-aged,  people  only,  but  now 
even  the  near-debutantes  and  their  circle  have 
a  steady  round  of  " dining  out,"  with  no  fear 
of  being  considered  "  along  in  years,"  for  there 
are  dinners  for  all  ages. 

Washington  has  given  three  of  her  most  dis- 
tinguished, most  beautiful  and  most  popular 
girls  vto  foreign  lands  within  two  months,  two 
of  them  having  become  princesses  and  the  third 
a  baroness.  The  first  to  wed  was  Miss  Margaret 
Draper,  heiress  to  several  millions  of  her  father's 
estate.  She  is  now  Princess  Boncompagni  of 
Rome,  and  her  mother  is  now  just  about  joining 
her  and  the  prince  in  Paris,  the  three  to  proceed 
to  the  prince's  home  in  Rome,  where  they  will 
spend  Christmas  together,  after  which  the 
prince  will  return  to  duty  with  his  regiment. 

The  second  of  these  brides  of  foreigners  was 
Miss  Catherine  Birney,  daughter  of  the  late 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Theodore  V.  Birney,  who  was 
married  December  2  to  Baron  von  Schoen,  of 
the  German  embassy  staff,  and  is  just  back  now 
from  the  wedding  trip.  They  returned  for  the 
marriage  of  Miss  Catherine  Britton  to  the 
Prince  zu  Hohenlohe-Schillingsfuerst,  of  the 
Austro-Hungarian  embassy  staff.  Baron  and 
Baroness  von  Schoen  will  spend  Christmas 
with  the  latter's  sister,  with  whom  she  has  made 
her  home  since  the  death  of  her  parents,  and 
then  they  will  proceed  to  Mexico,  whence  the 
baron  has  been  transferred. 

The  marriage  of  Miss  Britton  and  Prince  zu 
Hohenlohe  was  not  unexpected,  but  the  wedding 
date  was  hurried  about  three  months,  the  prince 
becoming  an  impatient  wooer.  He  was  as- 
signed to  duty  at  the  Austro-Hungarian  con- 


SOCIETY 


209 


sulate  in  the  summer  and  agreed  to  remain 
away  for  a  year.  He  stood  it  as  long  as  he  could, 
and  then  returned  to  claim  his  bride.  The 
consent  of  the  prince's  family  has  not  been 
forthcoming,  but  the  marriage  has  the  sanction 
of  the  embassy,  presumably  by  order  of  the 
new.  emperor,  and  it  was  a  happy  wedding  scene. 
The  bride  is  one  of  the  famous  beauties  of 
Washington  society.  She  was  never  lovelier 
than  in  her  singularly  simple  wedding  gown 
of  satin  with  pearl  trimmings,  tulle  sleeves,  and 
enormous  wedding  veil. 

Society  is  dancing  its  way  through  the  season. 
The  fever  is  making  inroads  even  upon  the  in- 
cessant auction-bridge  playing,  and  he  or  she 
who  neither  dances  nor  plays  auction  has  a 
dull  time  of  it.  Washington  society  is  rather 
methodical  in  its  dancing.  Monday  nights 
are  given  up  to  the  subscription  dances  at  the 
Playhouse,  and  another  set  at  the  Willard. 
Tuesday  night  the  army  dances  are  given  at  the 
Playhouse.  On  Wednesdays  are  the  regular 
Ghevy  Chase  Club  dinner  dances,  and  on  Thurs- 
days are  those  at  the  Navy  Club.  On  Friday 
nights,  beginning  on  January  5,  will  be  the  ten 
subscription  dances  at  the  Willard,  and  on 
Saturday  nights  there  are  dances  everywhere. 
The  private  dances  are  scattered  all  through, 
afternoons  and  evenings,  until  there  is  scarcely 
a  date  left  vacant  on  the  calendar  until  Ash 
Wednesday.1 

256.  Clubs.  — •  The  particular  attention  of  the  prospective 
society  editor  may  be  called  to  club  news.  The  work  in 
literature,  education,  community  betterment,  general  social 
relief,  and  kindred  subjects  now  being  undertaken  by  women's 
clubs  is  sometimes  phenomenal  and  offers  to  live  society 
editors  a  vast  undeveloped  field  for  constructive  news.  Too 
frequently  the  society  page  is  filled  with  dull  six-point  routine, 
forbidding  in  style  and  still  more  forbidding  in  content, 
when  it  might  be  made  alive  with  buoyancy  and  interest 
by  added  attention  to  new  studies  and  interests  in  the  wo- 

1  Washington  Post,  December  17,  1916. 


2IO 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


men's  clubs.  What  the  women  are  doing  in  their  study  o 
the  garbage  question,  in  their  campaigns  against  flies,  in 
their  efforts  to  provide  comforts  for  unprivileged  slum  chil- 
dren, —  such  topics,  properly  featured  and  given  attractive 
individual  heads,  may  be  made  interesting  to  a  large  per- 
centage of  the  intelligent  women  in  the  community  and  may 
be  made  instrumental  in  building  up  a  strong,  constructive 
department  in  the  paper. 

257.  Typographical  Style.  -  -  The  prospective  society  edi- 
tor will  find  it  well,  however,  to  study  and  to  follow  at  first 
the  typographical  style  of  the  society  column  in  her  paper. 
Some  newspapers  run  each  wedding,  engagement,  or  social 
affair    under  a   separate   head.     Others   group   all   society 
stories  under  the  general  head  of  Society,  indicating  the  dif- 
ferent social  functions,  no  matter  how  long  the  write-ups, 
only    by    new    paragraphs.     Sometimes    this    necessitates 
paragraphs  a  half-column  long.     In  preparing  lists  of  names 
in  society  reports,  the  editor  should  group  like  names  and 
titles   together.     That   is,   she   should  group   together   the 
married   couples,  then   the  married   women   whose   names 
appear  alone,  then  the  unmarried  women,  and  finally  the 
men.     An  illustration  is  the  following: 

Among  the  several  hundred  guests  were  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  S.  Bryce  Wing,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Felix 
D.  Doubleday,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewis  Gouver- 
nour  Morris.  .  .  . 

Among  the  debutantes  and  other  young 
women  present  were  Misses  Gretchen  Elaine 
Damrosch,  Priscilla  Peabody,  Irene  Langhorne 
Gibson,  Rosalie  G.  Bloodgood.  .  .  . 

The  young  men  present  included  Messrs. 
Lester  Armour,  Edward  M.  Mcllvaine,  Jr., 
Edgar  Allan  Poe,  William  Carrington  Stet- 
tinius,  Nelson  Doubleday,  Herbert  Pulitzer. . . . 

258.  Spurious  Announcements.  —  A  word  may  be  said 
in  conclusion  about  getting  society  news.     One  of  the  first 
precautions  to  a  prospective  society  editor  is  not  to  accept 


SOCIETY  2ii 

announcements  of  engagements,  marriages,  and  births  of 
children  from  any  others  than  the  immediate  persons  con- 
cerned. In  particular,  one  should  beware  of  such  news  given 
by  telephone.  Too  many  so-called  practical  jokes  are  at- 
tempted in  this  way  on  sensitive  lovers  and  young  married 
couples.  Many  newspapers  have  printed  forms  for  announce- 
ments of  engagements  and  weddings.  These  are  mailed  di- 
rectly to  the  families  concerned  and  require  their  signatures. 
259.  Sources  for  Society  News.  —  In  cases  of  important 
news,  such  as  weddings  and  charity  benefits,  the  editor  gen- 
erally has  little  difficulty  in  obtaining  all  the  facts  needed. 
Some  social  leaders  are  naturally  good  about  giving  one 
details  of  their  parties.  Others,  however,  shun  publicity 
even  to  the  extent  of  denying  prospective  luncheons,  dinners, 
and  card  parties — particularly  if  they  are  small  —  after 
all  plans  have  been  made,  and  the  details  may  be  had  only 
after  they  know  the  reporter  has  definite  facts.  To  get  these 
first  facts  is  often  one's  hardest  task.  Frequently  one  can 
acquire  the  friendly  acquaintance  of  some  one  in  society 
who  likes  to  have  her  name  appear  with  the  real  leaders. 
Men,  too,  —  even  husbands,  —  often  are  not  so  reticent 
about  their  immediate  social  affairs  and  are  glad  to  give 
pretty  society  editors  advance  tips  of  coming  events.  But 
the  best  sources  are  the  caterers,  the  florists,  and  the  hair- 
dressing  parlors.  The  caterers  are  engaged  weeks  in  ad- 
vance. The  florists  provide  the  decorations.  And  the 
hair-dressing  parlors  are  hotbeds  of  gossip.  By  visiting  or 
calling  regularly  at  these  places  one  generally  can  keep 
abreast  of  all  the  society  news  in  town.  But  always  when 
getting  news  from  such  sources  —  or  from  any  other  for 
that  matter  —  one  must  be  sure  of  the  absolute  accuracy  of 
all  addresses,  names,  and  initials.  If  one  is  not  careful,  - 
well,  only  one  who  has  seen  an  irate  mother  talk  to  the  city 
editor  before  the  ink  on  the  home  edition  is  dry  can  appreciate 
the  trouble  that  will  probably  result. 


XVIII.     FOLLOW-UPS,  REWRITES 

260.  "Follow-ups."—  "  Rewrites  "and  "follow-up"  stories 
are  news  stories  which  have  appeared  in  print.    The  dis- 
tinction between  the  two  is  that  " follow-ups"  contain  news 
in  addition  to  that  of  the  story  first  printed,  while  " rewrites" 
are  only  revisions.     Few  news  stories  are  complete  on  their 
first  appearance.     New  features  develop;    motives,  causes, 
and  unlooked-^or  results  come  to  light  in  a' way  that  is  often- 
times amazing.     Sometimes  these  facts  appear  within  a  few 
hours;  again  they  are  days  in  developing;  and  occasionally, 
after  they  have  developed,  the  story  will  " follow"  for  weeks, 
months,  and  even  years  without  losing  its  interest.     The 
Thaw,  Becker,  and  Charlton  stories  ran  for  years.     The  first 
item  about  the  Titanic  disaster  was  a  bulletin  of  less  than 
half  a  stick;  yet  the  story  ran  for  months. 

261.  Constructive   Side   of   "Follow-ups." — A  reporter, 
therefore,  must  not  consider  a  story  ended  until  he  has  run  to 
ground  all  the  possibilities  or  until  the  new  facts  have  ceased 
to  be  of  interest  to  a  large  body  of  readers.     Indeed,  it  is 
in  the  "follow-up"  that  the  reporter  has  one  of  his  greatest 
opportunities   to  prove   himself   a   constructive   journalist. 
There  is  every  reason,  too,  for  believing  it  will  be  in  the 
"follow-up"  that  the  big  newspaper  of  the  future  will  find 
its   greatest   development.    At   present,    stories   often   are 
dropped  too  quickly,  so  quickly  that  the  really  constructive 
news  is  lost.     A  great  epidemic  sweeps  a  city,  taking  an 
unprecedented  toll  of  life  and  entailing  expenditures  of  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  dollars.     All  the  reporters  grind  out 
pages  and  pages  of  copy  about  the  plague,  but  few  follow 
the  physicians  and  scientists  through  the  coming  weeks  and 


FOLLOW-UPS,  REWRITES 


213 


months  in  their  unflagging  determination  to  learn  the  causes 
of  the  disease,  to  effect  cures,  and  to  prevent  a  recurrence  of 
it  as  an  epidemic.  Yet  such  news  is  constructive  and  is  of 
greater  value  probably  to  the  readers  than  the  somewhat 
sensational  figures  of  the  plague.  For  the  scientists  will 
conquer  in  the  end,  and  all  along  the  way  their  improved 
methods  of  cure  and  prevention  will  be  of  educational  value 
to  the  public.  So  also  with  strikes,  wrecks,  fires,  commercial 
panics,  graft  and  crime  exposures,  etc. ;  the  reporter  is  advised 
to  follow  the  story  through  the  weeks  to  come,  not  neces- 
sarily writing  of  it  all  the  while,  but  holding  it  in  prospect 
for  the  constructive  news  that  is  sure  to  follow. 

262.  Following  up  a  Story.  -  -  The  first  story  which  the 
new  reporter  will  have  to  follow  up  he  will  some  day  find 
stuck  behind  the  platen  of  his  typewriter.  It  will  have  been 
put  there  by  one  of  the  copy-readers  who  has  read  the  local 
papers  of  the  preceding  morning  or  afternoon  and  has  clipped 
this  article  as  one  promising  further  developments.  The 
first  thing  to  do  is  to  read  the  whole  story  carefully.  (As  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  reporter  really  should  have  read  and  should 
be  familiar  with  the  story  already.  Familiarity  with  all 
the  news  is  expected  of  newspaper  men  at  all  times.)  Then 
tie  should  look  to  see  if  the  reporter  writing  the  story  has 
played  up  the  real  features.  In  his  haste  to  get  the  news 
into  print,  the  other  reporter  may  have  missed  the  main 
feature.  A  delightful  case  in  point  is  a  "follow-up"  of  an 
indifferent  story  appearing  in  a  New  York  morning  paper: 

Because  they  were  penniless  and  hungry, 
Charles  Ewart,  31  years  old,  and  his  wife 
Emily,  living  at  646  St.  Nicholas  Avenue,  were 
arrested  yesterday  in  the  grocery  store  of  Jacob 
Bosch,  336  St.  Nicholas  Avenue,  charged  with 
shoplifting.  When  arrested  by  Detective 
Taczhowski,  who  had  trailed  them  all  the  way 
from  a  downtown  department  store,  seven  eggs 
and  a  box  of  figs  were  found  in  Mrs.  Ewart's 
handsome  blue  fox  muff  . 


214  TYPES  OF  STORIES 

But  the  cause  of  the  couple's  pilfering  was  not  poverty  c 
hunger,  as  was  shown  by  a  clever  writer  on  the  New  Yor 
World  who  covered  the  story  that  afternoon.  Here  is  h 
write-up,  in  which  the  reader  should  note  the  entire  chang 
of  tone  and  the  happy  handling  of  the  human  interest  features 


CONFESSED    SHOPLIFTERS 

Mrs.  Emily  Ewart,  slender,  petite,  pretty, 
sat  in  the  police  department  to-day,  tossed  back 
her  blue  fox  neckpiece,  patted  her  moist  eyes 
with  a  lace-embroidered  handkerchief,  care- 
fully adjusted  in  her  lap  the  handsome  fox  muff 
which  the  police  say  had  but  lately  been  the 
repository  of  seven  eggs  and  a  box  of  figs,  and 
told^how  she  and  her  husband  happened  to  be 
arrested  last  evening  as  shoplifters. 

As  she  talked,  her  husband,  Charles  Ewart, 
thirty-one  years  old,  sat  disconsolately  in  a  cell, 
his  modish  green  overcoat  somewhat  wrinkled, 
the  careful  creases  in  his  gray  trousers  a  bit  less 
apparent,  and  his  up-to-the-minute  gray  fedora 
a  trifle  out  of  shape  and  dusty.  Nevertheless, 
he  still  retained  the  mien  of  dignity  with  which 
he  met  his  arrest  in  the  grocery  store  of  Jacob 
Bosch  at  No.  336  St.  Nicholas  Avenue. 

Of  course,  you  understand,  it  was  really  Mrs. 
Ewart's  fault  that  she  and  her  husband  should 
stoop  to  pilfering  from  a  hardworking  grocer 
eggs  worth  42  cents  (at  their  market  value  of 
72  cents  a  dozen)  and  a  box  of  figs,  net  value 
one  dime.  At  least,  so  she  told  the  police.  She 
too,  she  said,  led  him  to  appropriate  a  travelling 
bag  worth  $10  from  a  downtown  department 
store. 

If  it  hadn't  been  for  her,  young  Mr.  Ewart 
might  have  gone  right  along  earning  his  so 
much  per  week  soliciting  theatre  curtain  ad- 
vertisements for  the  Bentley  Studios,  at  No. 
1493  Broadway,  and  might  never  have  run  afoul 
of  the  police. 

The  Ewarts,  so  the  young  woman's  story  ran, 
came  here  from  Chicago  two  weeks  ago.  Of 
their  life  in  the  Western  city  she  refused  to  tell 
anything.  But  since  coming  to  New  York,  she 


FOLLOW-UPS,   REWRITES 


215 


admitted,  they  had  travelled  a  hard  financial 
road. 

Detective  Taczkowski's  attention  was  first 
called  to  Ewart  in  a  downtown  department  store 
yesterday  afternoon,  when  Ewart  tried  to  return 
a  travelling  bag  which  he  said  his  wife  had 
bought  for  $10.  Investigation  of  the  store's 
records  showed  Mrs.  Ewart  had  bought  a  bag 
for  $3.95,  but  that  the  $10  bag  had  been  stolen. 
Ewart  was  put  off  on  a  technicality  and  the  de- 
tective followed  him  when  he  left  the  store. 
Outside  Ewart  was  met  by  his  wife.  Into  the 
subway  Taczkowski  shadowed  them  and  at 
last  the  trail  led  to  the  Bosch  grocery  on  St. 
Nicholas  Avenue. 

In  the  store,  Taczkowski  kept  his  eyes  on 
Mrs.  Ewart,  in  her  modish  gown  and  furs,  while 
Ewart  engaged  a  clerk  in  conversation.  Sud- 
denly, Taczkowski  alleges,  he  saw  an  egg  worth 
six  cents  disappear  from  a  crate  into  Mrs. 
Ewart's  handsome  fur  muff.  Another  egg 
followed,  and  another,  he  says,  until,  like  the 
children  of  the  poem,  they  were  seven.  When 
a  box  of  figs  followed  the  eggs,  Taczowski  says, 
he  arrested  the  pair. 

A  search  of  the  E warts'  apartment  at  No.  646 
St.  Nicholas  Avenue,  the  police  say,  revealed  a 
great  quantity  of  men's  and  women's  clothing 
of  the  finest  variety.  Mrs.  Ewart,  the  police 
say,  admitted  she  had  stolen  the  blue  fox  furs 
from  a  downtown  store  and  the  police  expect  to 
identify  much  of  the  handsome  clothing  found 
in  the  apartment  as  stolen  goods. 

"We  were  hungry  and  had  no  money,"  Mrs. 
Ewart  sobbed  at  police  headquarters.  "We 
had  all  that  clothing,  but  not  a  cent  to  buy  food. 
I  am  the  one  to  blame,  for  I  encouraged  my 
husband  to  steal." 

Ewart  and  his  wife  were  arraigned  in  York- 
ville  Court  before  Magistrate  Harris  to-day  and 
were  held  in  $500  bail  each  for  further  examina- 
tion.1 

263.   New  Facts.  —  Generally  in   the   "follow-up"   it  is 
the  newly  learned  facts  that  are  featured.     In  the  case  of  a 

1  New  York  Evening  World,  November  n, 


2l6 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


sudden  death,  for  instance,  it  would  be  the  funeral  arrange- 
ments; in  a  railway  wreck,  the  investigation  and  the  placing 
of  blame.  The  following  stories  illustrate: 

Story  in  a  Morning  Paper 

Dashing  through  a  rain-storm  with  lightning 
flashes  blinding  him,  William  H.  Blanchard, 
manager  for  the  Wells  Fargo  Express  Company, 
drove  his  automobile  off  the  approach  of  the 
open  State  Street  bridge  to-night  and  was 
drowned.  Otto  Eller,  teacher  of  manual  train- 
ing in  the  West  Side  High  School,  escaped  by 
leaping  into  the  river.  Eller  says  the  warning 
lights  were  not  displayed  at  the  bridge. 

When  the  automobile  was  recovered,  it  was 
shown  that  the  car  was  not  moving  fast,  as  it 
had  barely  dropped  off  the  abutment,  a  few  feet 
from  shore.  The  bridge  was  open  because  its 
operating  equipment  had  been  put  out  of  order 
by  a  stroke  of  lightning. 

The  Follow-up 

The  body  of  William  H.  Blanchard,  manager 
of  the  Wells  Fargo  Express  Company,  who  lost 
his  life  when  he  drove  an  automobile  into  an  open 
drawbridge,  was  recovered  this  morning  about 
100  feet  from  where  the  accident  occurred. 

Investigations  have  been  started  by  the  coro- 
ner and  friends  to  place  the  blame  for  the  ac- 
cident. The  electrical  mechanism  of  the  bridge 
was  out  of  commission  on  account  of  a  storm 
and  it  was  being  operated  by  hand.  Spectators 
declare  no  warning  lights  were  on  the  bridge. 

264.   Results    Featured.  —  Frequently    the    lead    to    the 
follow-up  features  the  results  effected  by  the  details  of  the 

earlier  story: 

Original  Story 

The  total  yield  of  the  leading  cereal  crops  of 
the  United  States  this  year  will  be  nearly 
1,000,000,000  bushels  less  than  last  year.  The 
government  estimates  of  the  crop  issued  to-day 
showed  sensational  losses  in  the  spring  wheat 
crop  in  the  Northwest,  a  further  shrinkage  in 


FOLLOW-UPS,   REWRITES 


217 


winter  wheat,  and  big  losses  compared  to  a 
month  ago  and  last  year  in  corn  and  oats. 

Both  barley  and  rye  figures  also  indicate 
greater  losses  compared  to  a  year  ago  than  were 
shown  in  the  July  government  report. 

The  Follow-up  Next  Day 

American  wheat  pits  had  a  day  of  turmoil 
to-day  such  as  they  have  not  seen  since  the 
stirring  times  when  war  was  declared  in  Europe. 

Influenced  by  the  startling  government  report 
showing  enormous  losses  in  the  spring  wheat 
crop,  prices  soared  even  more  sharply  than  the 
wiseacres  had  anticipated. 

They  were  5  to  8  cents  higher  when  the  gong 
struck,  the  report,  released  after  the  close  of 
'change  Tuesday,  having  had  its  effect  over  night. 
At  the  close  they  registered  a  gain  of  from  io| 
to  i if  cents  for  the  day.  Wheat  had  gone 
above  $1.50  a  bushel.  Two  months  ago  it  was 
around  $1.05. 

265.  Probable    Results. — Where    no    more    important 
details  can  be   learned,  it    sometimes    is    wise    to  feature 
probable  results. 

A  break  in  diplomatic  relations  between  the 
United  States  and  Germany  as  a  result  of  the 
torpedoing  of  the  Lusitania  by  a  German  sub- 
marine is  the  expressed  belief  to-day  of  high 
Washington  officials. 

266.  Clues  for  Identification.  —  In  stories  of  crime,  when 
the  offenders  have  escaped,  the  lead  to  the  follow-up  may 
begin  with  clues  for  establishing  the  identity  of  the  criminals. 

If  a  piano  tuner  about  forty  years  of  age, 
wearing  a  pair  of  silver  spectacles  and  ac- 
companied by  a  petite,  brown-eyed  girl  twenty 
years  his  junior,  comes  to  your  house  for  work, 
telephone  the  Boston  police.  They  are  the  two, 
it  is  alleged,  who  robbed  the  Mather  apartments 
yesterday. 

267.  Featuring  Lack  of  News. — In  rare  cases  the  very 
fact  that  there  is  no  additional  news  is  worth  featuring. 


218  TYPES  OF  STORIES 

Up  to  a  late  hour  to-night  nothing  had  been 
heard  of  Henry  O.  Mallory ,  prosecuting  attorney 
in  the  Howard  murder  case,  who  disappeared 
yesterday  on  his  way  to  Lexington. 

268.  Opinions  of  Prominent  Persons.  —  An  otherwise 
unimportant  follow  story  may  sometimes  be  made  a  good 
one  by  interviewing  prominent  persons  and  localizing  the 
reader's  interest  in  men  or  women  he  knows. 


That  the  new  eugenics  law  passed  by  the 
state  legislature  of  Wisconsin  yesterday  is 
doomed  to  failure  from  the  start,  is  the  opinion 
of  Health  Commissioner  Shannon,  who  was  in 
Madison  when  the  final  vote  was  taken." 


269.  Summary  of  Opinions.  —  Sometimes,  indeed,  it  is 
well  to  interview  a  number  of  local  persons  and  make  the 
lead  a  summary  of  their  views. 

Widely  different  opinions  were  expressed  by 
prominent  physicians,  professors,  clergymen, 
and  social  workers  throughout  this  city  to-day 
on  the  ethics  of  the  course  taken  by  Dr.  H.  J. 
Haiselden  of  Chicago  in  allowing  the  defective 
son  of  a  patient  to  die. 

270.  Connecting  Links.  —  In  all  these  stories,  the  reader 
should  note,  sufficient  explanatory  matter  has  been  included 
to  connect  the  incidents  readily  with  the  events  of  the  pre- 
ceding days.     This  is  important  in  every  follow-up;    for 
always  many  readers  will  have  missed  the  earlier  stories  and 
consequently  will  need  definite  connection  to  relate  the  new 
events  with  preceding  occurrences.     It  is   also   important 
for  these  connecting  links  to  be  included  in,  or  to  follow  im- 
mediately  after,    the   lead,   because   they  give   the   reader 
necessary  facts  for  understanding  the  new  information  — 
give  him  his  bearings,  as  it  were,  —  without  which  he  will 
not  read  far  into  the  story. 

271.  "Rewrites."  --While  most  stories  are  not  complete 
on  their  first  appearance,  it  sometimes  happens,  neverthe- 


FOLLOW-UPS,  REWRITES 


less,  that  the  first  publication  of  an  item  contains  all  the  facts 
of  interest  to  a  paper's  readers  and  that  priority  of  publica- 
tion has  been  gained  by  another  journal.  Yet  the  story  will 
be  of  interest  to  the  readers  of  one's  own  paper  and  must  be 
published.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  rewrite  man  to  handle  such 
a  story,  and  to  handle  it  in  such  a  way  that  it  shall  bear  no 
resemblance  to  the  story  published  by  the  other  paper.  For 
this  reason  the  most  skillful  reporters  on  a  daily  are  the  re- 
write men.  They  must  find  new  features  for  old  stories, 
or  new  angles  of  view,  or  new  relations  of  some  kind  between 
the  various  details. 

272.  Bringing  a  Story  up  to  the  Minute. --The  first 
requisite  in  rewriting  is  the  necessity  of  making  old  news 
new,  of  bringing  it  up  to  the  minute.  No  matter  when  the 
events  occurred,  they  must  be  presented  to  the  reader  so 
that  they  shall  seem  current.  Currency  is  all  but  a  neces- 
sity to  life,  vigor,  interest  in  a  yesterday's  event.  Here  is 
an  item  of  news  in  point.  Suppose  the  following  story  from 
an  afternoon  paper  is  given  a  reporter  on  a  morning  daily: 

Charged  with  running  his  car  thirty  miles 
an  hour,  Dr.  Harry  O.  Smith,  prominent  city 
physician  with  offices  in  the  Vincennes  Build- 
ing, was  arrested  on  Kentucky  Street  this  after- 
noon by  Motorcycle  Policeman  DuPre.  After 
giving  bonds  for  his  appearance  to-morrow,  Dr. 
Smith  left  in  his  machine  for  Linwood,  where 
he  was  going  when  stopped  by  Policeman 
DuPre. 

Concerning  his  arrest  Dr.  Smith  refused  to 
make  any  other  statement  than  that  he  was  on 
his  way  to  see  a  patient. 

The  reporter  cannot  see  Dr.  Smith  to  obtain  additional  facts, 
because  the  doctor  is  out  of  town.  Nor  can  he  expect  any 
more  news,  since  the  case  will  not  come  up  until  some  hours 
after  his  paper  will  have  been  in  the  hands  of  its  readers. 
It  is  also  against  journalistic  rules  to  begin  with  "Dr.  Smith 
was  arrested  yesterday."  That  yesterday  must  be  elim- 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 

inated  from  the  lead.    Here  is  the  method  one  rewrite  mar 
used  to  get  out  of  the  difficulty: 

Even  doctors  will  not  be  allowed  to  break 
the  city  speed  laws  if  one  Cincinnati  motorcycle 
policeman  has  his  way. 

Another  way  in  which  he  might  have  avoided  the  trouble- 
some yesterday  would  be: 

One  of  the  first  cases  on  police  docket  this 
morning  will  be  the  hearing  of  Dr.  Harry  O. 
Smith,  prominent  Cincinnati  physician  with 
offices  in  the  Vincennes  building,  who  was  ar- 
rested on  a  charge  of  speeding  yesterday  by 
Policeman  DuPre. 

Or  he  might  have  begun: 

Whether  the  life  of  a  sick  patient  is  worth 
more  than  that  of  a  healthy  pedestrian  may  be 
decided  in  police  court  this  morning. 

In  each  of  these  rewrites  it  will  be  noted  that  the  story  has 
been  brought  down  to  the  time  of  the  appearance  of  the 
paper. 

273.  New  Features.  -  -  The  next  thing  to  seek  in  the  story 
to  be  rewritten  is  a  new  feature.  Generally  this  is  obtained 
in  bringing  the  story  up  to  date.  If  not,  the  reporter  may 
examine,  as  in  the  "  follow-up,"  to  see  whether  the  first  story 
plays  up  the  best  feature,  or  whether  it  does  not  contain 
another  feature  equally  good,  or  one  possibly  entirely  over- 
looked. Failing  here,  he  may  look  forward  to  probable  de- 
velopments, as  an  investigation  following  a  wreck,  a  search 
by  the  police  following  a  burglary,  or  an  arraignment  and 
trial  following  an  arrest.  Failing  again,  he  may  consider 
whether  some  cause  or  motive  or  agency  for  the  fire  or  divorce 
or  crime  may  not  have  gone  unnoticed  by  the  other  man. 
Or  best  of  all,  he  may  try  to  relate  the  incident  with  similar 
events  occurring  recently,  as  in  the  case  of  a  number  of 
fires,  burglaries,  or  explosions  coming  close  upon  each  other. 


FOLLOW-UPS,   REWRITES 


221 


Whatever  course  he  chooses,  he  should  use  his  imagination 
to  good  advantage,  taking  care  always  to  make  his  rewrite 
truthful.  Here  is  the  way  a  few  rewrite  men  have  presented 
their  new  old  stories: 


DEFECTIVE  BABY   DIES 

The  question  whether  his  life  should  have 
been  fought  for  or  whether  it  was  right  to  let  him 
die  is  over,  so  far  as  the  tiny,  unnamed,  six- 
days-old  defective  son  of  Mrs.  Anna  Bellinger 
is  concerned.  The  child  died  at  the  German- 
American  hospital,  Chicago,  at  7:30  last  night, 
with  Dr.  H.  J.  Haiselden,  chief  of  the  hospital 
staff,  standing  firmly  to  his  position  that  he 
could  not  use  his  science  to  prolong  the  life  of 
so  piteously  afflicted  a  creature. 

WILD   MAN   CAUGHT 

The  wild  man  who  has  been  frightening  school 
children  of  Yonkers,  scaring  hunters  in  the 
woods,  and  causing  hurry  calls  to  the  police 
from  timid  housewives,  has  been  captured  by 
the  reserves  of  the  Second  precinct.  He  was 
caught  last  night  in  Belmont  woods,  near  the 
Empire  City  race  track. 

TWELVE-YEAR-OLD    GIRL   SUICIDE 

Ruth  Camilla  Fisher  knew  a  country  wherein 
her  beauty  was  specie  of  the  realm.  It  was 
bounded  by  the  ninth  and  twelfth  birthdays. 
Its  inhabitants  consisted  of  Fritz,  an  adoring 
dachshund;  "papa,"  who  was  a  member  of  the 
school  board  and  a  great  man;  and  innumerable 
gruff  little  boys,  who,  ostensibly  ignorant  of  her 
observation,  spat  through  vacant  front  teeth 
and  turned  gorgeous  somersaults  for  her  ad- 
miration. She  was  happy  and  the  jealous  green 
complexion  of  the  feminine  part  of  her  world 
bothered  her  not  at  all. 

And  unsuspectingly  Ruth  came  singing  across 
the  borders  of  her  ain  countree  to  the  alien  land 
of  knowledge  and  disillusionment.  Though  she 
knew  she  came  from  God,  it  was  gradually 
borne  upon  her  that  her  girl-mother  wandered  a 
little  way  on  the  path  of  the  Magdalenes. 

She  was  an  interloper  who  had  no  gospel 


Result 
Featured 


Connec- 
tion with 
Preceding 
Events 


Entirely 
New 
Feature 
Played  Up 


222 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


sanction  in  the  world,  no  visible  parents  other 
than  a  foster-father  and  a  foster-mother.  Per- 
fectly respectable  little  girls  began  to  inform 
her  so  with  self-righteous  airs  and  with  the  ex- 
pertness  of  surgeons  to  dissect  her  from  the 
social  scheme  that  governs  puss-wants-a-corner 
with  the  same  iron  rule  that  in  later  life  de- 
termines who  shall  be  asked  to  play  bridge  and 
who  shall  be  outlawed. 

"Your  parents  aren't  your  own,"  was  the 
taunt  that  Ruth  heard  from  playmates.  Some 
of  the  little  girls  added  the  poison  of  sympathy 
to  the  information.  And  Ruth  Camilla  Fisher 
at  12  found  herself  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land. 

She  extradited  herself  Tuesday  night  with  a 
revolver  shot  in  the  temple.  In  the  yard  back 
of  her  foster-parents'  home  at  5319  West 
Twenty-fifth  Street,  Cicero,  with  one  arm 
around  the  loyal  Fritz,  she  put  the  revolver 
to  her  head  and  pressed  the  trigger.  .  .  .  l 

CROOK  LISTS   DANCERS'   NAMES 

The  modern  dance  craze  has  brought  a  lot 
of  informality  into  a  heretofore  very  proper 
Chicago. 

Women  whose  husbands  work  during  the 
daytime  have  considered  it  not  at  all  improper 
to  flock  to  the  afternoon  the  dansants  in  many 
downtown  cafes,  there  to  fox- trot  and  one-step 
with  good-looking  strangers  whose  introduc- 
tion—  if  there  was  an  introduction  —  was 
procured  in  a  sort  of  professional  way. 

Consequently  there  were  about  forty  women 
in  Chicago  who  verged  on  total  collapse  yester- 
day if  they  chanced  to  read  of  the  terrible  ex- 
perience of  Mrs.  Mercedes  Fullen wider  of  5432 
Kimbark  Avenue. 

ELSIE  THOMAS  NOT  A  SUICIDE 

If  a  finger  print  can  tell  a  story,  the  police 
may  be  able  to  prove  by  to-morrow  night  that 
pretty  Elsie  Thomas,  whose  lifeless  body  was 
found  in  her  room  at  1916  Pennsylvania  Street 
last  night,  was  not  a  suicide.  In  the  opinion 
of  her  brother,  .Wallace  Thomas,  who  was  on 

1  Chicago  Tribune,  November  25,  1915. 


FOLLOW-UPS,   REWRITES  223 

his  way  from  Lindale  to  see  her,  Hans  Roehm, 
who  had  promised  to  marry  her,  may  have  been 
responsible  for  her  death  from  cyanide  of 
potassium. 

274.  Condensation  in  Rewrites.  —  It  may  be  added  in 
conclusion  that  though  rewrites  are  made  to  seem  fresh  and 
new,  they  are  nevertheless  old  news  after  all,  and  hence  are 
not  worth  so  much  space  as  the  original  story.  Conse- 
quently, one  will  find  that  they  usually  run  from  half  to  a 
fourth  the  length  of  the  original;  so  that  in  rewriting  one 
need  not  hesitate  —  as  the  copy-readers  tell  the  reporters  - 
to  "cut  every  story  to  the  bone."  One  must  be  careful  in 
rewriting,  however,  not  merely  to  omit  paragraphs  in  cutting 
down  stories.  Excision  is  not  rewriting. 


XIX.     FEATURE  STORIES 

275.  What  tfie  Feature  Story  Is.  -  -  The  feature,  or  hu- 
man interest,  story  is  the  newspaper  man's  invention  for 
making  stories  of  little  news  value  4  interesting.     The  prime 
difference  between  the  feature  story  and  the  normal  infor- 
mation story  we  have  been  studying  is  that  its  news  is  a 
little  less  excellent  and  must  be  made  good  by  the  writer's 
ingenuity^    Tne  exciting  informational  story  on   the  first 
page  claims  the  reader's  attention  by  reason  of  the  very 
dynamic  power  of  its  tidings,  but  the  news  of  the  feature 
story  must  have  a  touch  of  literary  rouge  on  its  face  to  make 
it  attractive.     This  rouge  generally  is  an  adroit  appeal  to 
the  emotions,  and  just  as  some  maidens  otherwise  plain  of 
feature  may  be  made  attractive,  even  beautiful,  by  a  cos- 
metic touch  accentuating  a  pleasing  feature  or  concealing  a 
defect,  so  the  human  interest  story  may  be  made  fascinating 
by  centering  the  interest  in  a  single  emotion  and  drawing 
the  attention  away  from  the  staleness,  the  sameness,  the 
lack  of  piquancy  in  the  details.     The  emotion  may  be  love, 
fear,  hate,  regret,  curiosity,  humor,  —  no  matter  what,  pro- 
vided it  is  unified  about,  is  given  the  tone  of,  that  feature. 

276.  Difficulty.  —  But   just   as   it    takes   artists   among 
women  to  dare  successfully  the  lure  of  the  rouge-dish,  and 
just  as  so  many,  having  ventured,  make  of  their  faces  mere 
caricatures  of  the  beauty  they  have  sought,  so  only  artists 
can  handle  the  feature  story.     The  difficulty  lies  chiefly  in 
the  temptation  to  overemphasize.     In  striving  to  make  the 
story  humorous,  one  goes  too  far,  oversteps  the  limits  of 
dignity,   and  like   the   ten-twenty-thirty  vaudeville  actor, 


FEATURE  STORIES 


225 


produces  an  effect  of  disgust.  Or  in  attempting  to  be  pa- 
thetic, to  excite  a  sympathetic  tear,  one  is  liable  to  induce 
mere  derisive  laughter.  And  a  single  misplaced  word  or  a 
discordant  phrase,  like  a  mouse  in  a  Sunday-school  class, 
will  destroy  the  entire  effect  of  what  one  would  say.  In 
no  other  kind  of  writing  is  restraint  more  needed. 

277.  Two  Types.  —  Probably  entire  accuracy  demands 
the  statement  that  these  remarks  about  the  difficulty  of  the 
feature  story  apply  more  specifically  to  the  human  interest 
type,  the  type  the  purpose  of  which  is  largely  to  entertain. 
Certainly  it  is  more  difficult  than  the  second,  whose  purpose 
is  to  instruct  or  inform.  The  one  derives  its  interest  from 
its  appeal  to  the  reader's  curiosity,  the  other  from  its  appeal 
to  the  emotions.  [Thermo  tional  type  attracts  the  reader 
through  its  appeafto  elemental  instincts  and  feelings  in 
men,  as  desire  for  food  and  life,  vain  grief  for  one  lost,  struggle 
for  position  in  society,  undeserved  prosperity  or  misfortune, 
abnormal  fear  of  death,  stoicism  in  the  face  of  danger,  etc. 
The  following  is  by  Frank  Ward  O'Malley,  of  the  New  York 
Sun,  a  classic  of  this  type  of  human  interest  story: 


DEATH  OF  HAPPY  GENE  SHEEHAN 

Mrs.  Catherine  Sheehan  stood  in  the  darkened 
parlor  of  her  home  at  361  West  Fifteenth  Street 
late  yesterday  afternoon,  and  told  her  version  of 
the  murder  of  her  son  Gene,  the  youthful  police- 
man whom  a  thug  named  Billy  Morley  shot 
in  the  forehead,  down  under  the  Chatham 
Square  elevated  station  early  yesterday  morn- 
ing. Gene's  mother  was  thankful  that  her  boy 
hadn't  killed  Billy  Morley  before  he  died, 
"because,"  she  said,  "I  can  say  honestly,  even 
now,  that  I'd  rather  have  Gene's  dead  body 
brought  home  to  me,  as  it  will  be  to-night,  than 
to  have  him  come  to  me  and  say,  'Mother,  I 
had  to  kill  a  man  this  morning.'" 

"God  comfort  the  poor  wretch  that,  killed 
the  boy,"  the  mother  went  on,  "because  he  is 
more  unhappy  to-night  than  we  ^are  here. 


226 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


Maybe  he  was  weak-minded  through  drink. 
He  couldn't  have  known  Gene  or  he  wouldn't 
have  killed  him.  Did  they  tell  you  at  the  Oak 
Street  Station  that  the  other  policemen  called 
Gene  Happy  Sheehan?  Anything  they  told 
you  about  him  is  true,  because  no  one  would 
lie  about  him.  He  was  always  happy,  and  he 
was  a  fine-looking  young  man,  and  he  always 
bad  to  duck  his  helmet  when  he  walked  under 
the  gas  fixture  in  the  hall,  as  he  went  out  the 
door. 

"He  was  doing  dance  steps  on  the  floor  of 
the  basement,  after  his  dinner  yesterday  noon, 
for  the  girls  —  his  sisters,  I  mean  —  and  he 
stopped  of  a  sudden  when  he  saw  the  clock,  and 
picked  up  his  helmet.  Out  on  the  street  he 
made  pretend  to  arrest  a  little  boy  he  knows, 
who  was  standing  there,  —  to  see  Gene  come, 
out,  I  suppose,  —  and  when  the  little  lad  ran 
away  laughing,  I  called  out, '  You  couldn't  catch 
Willie,  Gene;  you're  getting  fat.' 

"'Yes,  and  old,  mammy/  he  said,  him  who 
is  —  who  was  —  only  twenty-six  —  '  so  fat/ 
he  said,  '  that  I'm  getting  a  new  dress  coat 
that'll  make  you  proud  when  you  see  me  in  it, 
mammy.'  And  he  went  over  Fifteenth  Street 
whistling  a  tune  and  slapping  his  leg  with  a 
folded  newspaper.  And  he  hasn't  come  back. 

"But  I  saw  him  once  after  that,  thank  God7 
before  he  was  shot.  It's  strange,  isn't  it,  that 
I  hunted  him  up  on  his  beat  late  yesterday 
afternoon  for  the  first  time  in  my  life?  I  never 
gq  around  where  my  children  are  working  or 
studying  —  one  I  sent  through  college  with 
what  I  earned  at  dressmaking  and  some  other 
little  money  I  had,  and  he's  now  a  teacher;  and 
the  youngest  I  have  at  college  now.  I  don't 
mean  that  their  father  wouldn't  send  them  if 
he  could,  but  he's  an  invalid,  although  he's 
got  a  position  lately  that  isn't  too  hard  for  him. 
I  got  Gene  prepared  for  college,  too,  but  he 
wanted  to  go  right  into  an  office  in  Wall  Street. 
I  got  him  in  there,  but  it  was  too  quiet  and 
tame  for  him,  Lord  have  mercy  on  his  soul;  and 
then,  two  years  ago,  he  wanted  to  go  on  the 
police  force,  and  he  went. 


FEATURE   STORIES 


227 


"After  he  went  down  the  street  yesterday  I 
found  a  little  book  on  a  chair,  a  little  list  of  the 
streets  or  something,  that  Gene  had  forgot. 
I  knew  how  particular  they  are  about  such 
things,  and  I  didn't  want  the  boy  to  get  in 
trouble,  and  so  I  threw  on  a  shawl  and  walked 
over  through  Chambers  Street  toward  the  river 
to  find  him.  He  was  standing  on  a  corner  some 
place  down  there  near  the  bridge  clapping  time 
with  his  hands  for  a  little  newsy  that  was  danc- 
ing; but  he  stopped  clapping,  struck,  Gene 
did,  when  he  saw  me.  He  laughed  when  I 
handed  him  the  little  book  and  told  that  was 
why  I'd  searched  for  him,  patting  me  on  the 
shoulder  when  he  laughed  —  patting  me  on  the 
shoulder. 

"'It's  a  bad  place  for  you  here,  Gene/  I  said. 
'Then  it  must  be  bad  for  you,  too,  mammy,' 
said  he;  and  as  he  walked  to  the  end  of  his  beat 
with  me  —  it  was  dark  then  —  he  said,  'They're 
lots  of  crooks  here,  mother,  and  they  know  and 
hate  me  and  they're  afraid  of  me'  —  proud,  he 
said  it  —  '  but  maybe  they'll  get  me  some  night.* 
He  patted  me  on  the  back  and  turned  and 
walked  east  toward  his  death.  Wasn't  it 
strange  that  Gene  said  that? 

"You  know  how  he  was  killed,  of  course,  and 
how  —  Now  let  me  talk  about  it,  children,  if  I 
want  to.  I  promised  you,  didn't  I,  that  I 
wouldn't  cry  any  more  or  carry  on?  Well,  it 
was  five  o'clock  this  morning  when  a  boy  rang 
the  bell  here  at  the  house  and  I  looked  out  the 
window  and  said,  'Is  Gene  dead?'  'No, 
ma'am,'  answered  the  lad,  'but  they  told  me  to 
tell  you  he  was  hurt  in  a  fire  and  is  in  the  hos- 
pital.' Jerry,  my  other  boy,  had  opened  the 
door  for  the  lad  and  was  talking  to  him  while  I 
dressed  a  bit.  And  then  I  walked  down  stairs 
and  saw  Jerry  standing  silent  under  the  gaslight, 
and  I  said  again,  'Jerry,  is  Gene  dead?'  And 
he  said  'Yes,'  and  he  went  out. 

"After  a  while  I  went  down  to  the  Oak  Street 
Station  myself,  because  I  couldn't  wait  for 
Jerry  to  come  back.  The  policemen  all  stopped 
talking  when  I  came  in,  and  then  one  of  them 
told  me  it  was  against  the  rules  to  show  me 


228 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


Gene  at  that  time.  But  I  knew  the  policeman 
only  thought  I'd  break  down,  but  I  promised 
him  I  wouldn't  carry  on,  and  he  took  me  into 
a  room  to  let  me  see  Gene.  It  was  Gene. 

"I  know  to-day  how  they  killed  him.  The 
poor  boy  that  shot  him  was  standing  in  Chatham 
Square  arguing  with  another  man  when  Gene 
told  him  to  move  on.  When  the  young  man 
wouldn't,  but  only  answered  back,  Gene  shoved 
him,  and  the  young  man  pulled  a  revolver  and 
shot  Gene  in  the  face,  and  he  died  before  Father 
Rafferty,  of  St.  James's,  got  to  him,  God  rest 
his  soul.  A  lot  of  policemen  heard  the  shot, 
and  they  all  came  running  with  their  pistols  and 
clubs  in  their  hands.  Policeman  Laux  —  I'll 
never  forget  his  name  or  any  of  the  others  that 
ran  to  help  Gene  —  came  down  the  Bowery  and 
ran  out  into  the  middle  of  the  square  where 
Gene  lay. 

"When  the  man  that  shot  Gene  saw  the 
policeman  coming,  he  crouched  down  and  shot 
at  Policeman  Laux,  but,  thank  God,  he  missed 
him.  Then  policemen  named  Harrington  and 
Rourke  and  Moran  and  Kehoe  chased  the  man 
all  around  the  streets  there,  some  heading  him 
off  when  he  tried  to  run  into  that  street  that 
goes  off  at  an  angle  —  East  Broadway,  isn't  it? 
A  big  crowd  had  come  out  of  Chinatown  now 
and  was  chasing  the  man,  too,  until  Policemen 
Rourke  and  Kehoe  got  him  backed  up  against 
a  wall.  When  Policeman  Kehoe  came  up  close, 
the  man  shot  his  pistol  right  at  Kehoe  and  the 
bullet  grazed  Kehoe's  helmet. 

"All  the  policemen  jumped  at  the  man  then, 
and  one  of  them  knocked  the  pistol  out  of  his 
hand  with  a  blow  of  a  club.  They  beat  him, 
this  Billy  Morley,  so  Jerry  says  his  name  is, 
but  they  had  to  because  he  fought  so  hard. 
They  told  me  this  evening  that  it  will  go  hard 
with  the  unfortunate  murderer,  because  Jerry 
says  that  when  a  man  named  Frank  O'Hare, 
who  was  arrested  this  evening  charged  with 
stealing  cloth  or  something,  was  being  taken  to 
headquarters,  he  told  Detective  Gegan  that  he 
and  a  one-armed  man  who  answered  to  the 
description  of  Morley,  the  young  man  who 
killed  Gene,  had  a  drink  last  night  in  a  saloon 


FEATURE   STORIES 


229 


at  Twenty-second  Street  and  Avenue  A,  and 
that  when  the  one-armed  man  was  leaving  the 
saloon  he  turned  and  said,  'Boys,  I'm  going  out 
now  to  bang  a  guy  with  buttons.' 

"They  haven't  brought  me  Gene's  body  yet. 
Coroner  Shrady,  so  my  Jerry  says,  held  Billy 
Morley,  the  murderer,  without  letting  him  get 
out  on  bail,  and  I  suppose  that  in  a  case  like 
this  they  have  to  do  a  lot  of  things  before  they 
can  let  me  have  the  body  here.  If  Gene  only 
hadn't  died  before  Father  Rafferty  got  to  him, 
I'd  be  happier.  He  didn't  need  to  make  his 
confession,  you  know,  but  it  would  have  been 
better,  wouldn't  it?  He  wasn't  bad,  and  he 
went  to  mass  on  Sunday  without  being  told; 
and  even  in  Lent,  when  we  always  say  the 
rosary  out  loud  in  the  dining-room  every  night, 
Gene  himself  said  to  me  the  day  after  Ash 
Wednesday,  'If  you  want  to  say  the  rosary  at 
noon,  mammy,  before  I  go  out,  instead  of  at 
night  when  I  can't  be  here,  we'll  do  it.' 

"God  will  see  that  Gene's  happy  to-night, 
won't  he,  after  Gene  said  that?"  the  mother 
asked  as  she  walked  out  into  the  hallway  with 
her  black-robed  daughters  grouped  behind  her. 
"I  know  he  will,"  she  said,  "and  I'll— "  She 
stopped  with  an  arm  resting  on  the  banister  to 
support  her.  "I  —  I  know  I  promised  you, 
girls,"  said  Gene's  mother,  "that  I'd  try  not  to 
cry  any  more,  but  I  can't  help  it."  And  she 
turned  toward  the  wall  and  covered  her  face 
with  her  apron.1 

278.  Informational  Type.  —  The  second  type  of  feature 
story,  the  informational,  is  the  one  we  find  most  frequently 
in  the  feature  section  of  the  editorial  page  and  the  Sunday 
edition.  It  includes  such  subjects  as,  "How  to  Jiu-jitsu  a 
Holdup  Man,"  "Why  Hot  Water  Dissolves  Things,"  "Duties 
of  an  International  Spy,"  "Feminism  and  the  Baby  Crop," 
"Why  Dogs  Wag  their  Tails,"  "The  World's  Highest  Sal- 
aried Choir  Boy,"  etc.  Stories  of  new  inventions  and  dis- 
coveries, accounts  of  the  lives  of  famous  and  infamous  men, 

1  Frank  Ward  O'Malley  in  the  New  York  Sun;  reprinted  in  The  Outlook, 
Ixxxvii,  527-529. 


230  TYPES  OF  STORIES 

of  barbaric  and  court  life,  methods  for  lowering  the  high 
cost  of  living,  explanations  of  the  workings  of  the  parcel 
post  system,  facts  telling  the  effects  of  the  European  war,  - 
these  are  some  of  the  kinds  of  news  included.  Timeliness 
is  not  essential,  but  is  valuable,  as  in  the  publication  of  Hal- 
loween, Christmas,  Easter,  and  vacation  stories  at  their 
appropriate  seasons. 

279.  Sources.  -  -  The  sources  of  feature  stories  are  every- 
where, —  on  the  street,  in  the  club,  at  church,  in  the  court 
room,  on  the  athletic  field,  in  reference  books  and  government 
publications,  in  the  journals  of  fashion,  anywhere  that  an 
observing  reporter  will  look.     Old   settlers   and  residents, 
particularly  on  their  birthdays  and  wedding  anniversaries, 
are  good  for  stories  of  the  town  or  state  as  it  used  to  be  fifty 
years  ago;   and  their  photographs  add  to  the  value  of  their 
stories.     Travelers  just  returned  from  foreign  countries  or 
from  distant  sections  of  the  United  States  provide  good 
feature  copy.     Educational  journals,  forestry  publications, 
mining   statistics,   geological    surveys,   court   decisions,   all 
furnish  valuable  data.     The  only  requirement   in   obtain- 
ing information  is  personal  observation  and  investigation. 

280.  Form.  -  -  The  form  of  the  feature  story  is  anomalous. 
It  has  none.     One  is  at  liberty  to  begin  in  any  way  likely  to 
attract  the  reader,  and  to  continue  in  any  way  that  will  hold 
him.     Possibly  informal  leads  are  the  rule  rather  than  the 
exception —  leads  that  will  arrest  attention  by  telling  enough 
of  the  story  to  excite  curiosity  without  giving  all  the  details. 
Note  the  suspensive  effect  of  the  following  leads: 


SAM    DREAMS    OF   ROBBERS 

Two  big  black-bearded  robbers,  armed  to  the 
hat-band  and  vowing  to  blow  his  appetite  away 
from  his  personality  if  he  uttered  a  tweet, 
walked  into  the  mind  of  Samuel  Shuster  on 
Wednesday  night  as  he  lay  snoring  in  his  four- 
post  bed  at  No.  1 1  Market  Street.  One  placed 


FEATURE  STORIES 


231 


a  large  warty  hand  around  Samuel's  windpipe 
and  began  to  play  it,  and  the  other  with  a  fur- 
tive look  up  and  down  stage  reached  into  his 
pocket  and  drew  forth  $350.  With  a  scream, 
two  yowls,  and  a  tiger,  Samuel  awoke.  .  .  . 

FIXES   BROKEN   LEG   WITH   NAILS 

Capt.  Patrick  Rogers  of  truck  company  No.  2 
found  a  man  leaning  against  the  quarters  at 
Washington  and  Clinton  Streets  early  yesterday 
and  demanded  what  he  was  doing. 

"I  broke  my  leg  getting  off  a  car,"  said  the 
stranger.  "  Gimme  a  hammer  and  some  nails 
and  I'll  fix  it."  .  .  . 

AMERICAN   WASTE 

If  it  were  not  for  our  industrial  wastefulness, 
it  is  a  fair  guess  that  the  income  of  the  United 
States  would  be  sixteen  times  —  Well,  do  you 
know  that  America  burns  up  forty  thousand 
tons  of  paper  a  day,  worth  fifty  dollars  a  ton? 
That  alone  is  $2,000,000  a  day  wasted.  .  .  . 

FINDS   WOMAN   DEAD   IN   BARN 

Stephen  Garrity  of  1 1 24  Seventy- third  street 
stepped  into  a  deserted  barn  at  Seventy-fourth 
street  and  Ashland  avenue  yesterday  afternoon 
to  get  out  of  the  wind  and  light  his  pipe. 

He  was  just  about  to  apply  a  lighted  match 
to  the  pipe  when  he  saw  the  form  of  a  woman 
hanging  to  one  of  the  rafters.  A  long  black 
silk-lined  coat  hung  so  that  Garrity  could  see  a 
black  skirt,  a  white  waist,  and  black  shoes.  The 
woman  had  a  fair  complexion  and  brown  hair. 

The  match  burned  Garrity 's  fingers  and 
went  out.  .  .  . 

281.  Suspense  Story.  —  In  some  feature  stories  the  writers 
attempt  to  hold  their  readers'  interest  by  making  the  nar- 
rative suspensive  throughout. 

"MISSOURI"   IN   CHICAGO 

" Missouri"  Perkins  is  sixteen  and  hails  from 
Kansas  City.  This  morning  he  walked  into 
the  office  of  the  Postal  Telegraph  Company  on 
Dearborn  Street  and  asked  for  a  job.  The 


232 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


manager  happened  to  want  a  messenger  boy 
just  at  that  moment  and  gave  him  a  message  to 
deliver  in  a  hurry. 

"Here's  your  chance,  my  boy,"  said  the 
manager.  "These  people  have  been  kicking 
about  undelivered  messages.  Now  don't  come 
back  until  you  deliver  it." 

A  while  afterward  the  telephone  rang.  On 
the  other  end  of  the  wire  was  a  building  watch- 
man, somewhat  terrified. 

"Have  you  got  a  boy  they  call  'Missouri?"3 
inquired  the  watchman. 

"We  did  have  ten  minutes  ago,"  replied  the 
manager. 

The  watchman  continued:  "That  'Missouri' 
feller  came  over  here  and  said  he  had  to  go 
to  one  of  the  offices.  We  don't  allow  no  one  up 
at  that  office  at  this  hour  and  I  told  him  he 
couldn't  go." 

"Yes,  yes,"  said  the  manager. 

"Well,"  said  the  watchman,  "he  said  he 
would  go,  and  I  had  to  pull  my  gun  on  him." 

"But  you  didn't  shoot  my  messenger,"  ex- 
claimed the  manager. 

"No,"  meekly  came  the  response  over  the 
wire,  "but  I  want  my  gun  back." 

282.  Uniqueness  of  Style.  —  Again,  a  writer  will  resort 
to  uniqueness  of  form  or  style  to  get  his  effect. 

HIS   WIFE,   SHE   WENT  AWAY 

And  He  Did  a  Little  Entertaining,  Which 
Leads  Up  to  This  Story 

Mrs.  Gladys  I.  Fick  visited  in  California. 
Mr.  Fick  entertained  while  she  was  away. 
Mrs.  Fick  found  it  out. 
And  got  a  divorce. 
Yesterday. 

283.  Unity  of  Impression. — Most  frequently,  however, 
the  effort  is  to  obtain  unity  of  impression  through  close  ad- 
herence to  a  single  tone  or  effect.    The  story  by  Frank  Ward 
O'Malley  on  page  225  has  already  been  cited  as  an  excellent 
story  of  pathos,  and  the  following  may  be  examined  as  a 
portrayal  of  childish  loyalty: 


FEATURE   STORIES 


233 


SILENT  ABOUT  BULLET  IN  BRAIN 

A  tragedy  of  childhood  featuring  the  loyalty 
of  lo-year-old  Stephen  Stec  to  his  three  years 
younger  brother  Albert,  even  when  he  felt  death 
near,  was  brought  out  at  Kenosha  hospital  to- 
day. X-ray  pictures  showed  that  the  older 
boy  had  a  bullet  from  a  revolver  embedded  to 
a  distance  of  three  inches  in  the  brain  matter. 

The  boy  was  shot  by  his  younger  brother 
Sunday  afternoon,  but  after  they  had  agreed 
to  keep  secret  the  story  of  the  shooting,  Stephen, 
with  the  stoicism  of  a  Spartan,  had  refused  to 
tell  the  story.  When  the  X-ray  picture  revealed 
his  secret  he  sobbed  out,  "He  didn't  mean  to  do 
it."  Then  he  told  the  story. 

"  Just  Tired  Out, "  He  Says 

The  two  boys  had  been  left  at  home  alone  on 
Sunday  afternoon.  Their  father,  Albert  Stec, 
a  prosperous  market  man,  had  warned  them 
never  to  touch  a  revolver  which  lay  in  a  drawer. 
Little  Albert,  not  yet  6  years  old,  got  the 
weapon,  pointed  it  at  the  brother,  and  pulled 
the  trigger.  The  bullet  entered  the  back  of  the 
other  boy's  head.  The  mother,  on  her  return 
home,  found  the  boy  on  the  floor  with  his  little 
brother  keeping  a  vigil. 

"I'm  just  tired  out,"  the  boy  told  his  mother. 
She  put  him  to  bed  and  tucked  him  away  under 
the  covers.  With  the  little  brother  playing 
about  the  bed  he  went  off  to  sleep. 

Physician  Stumbles  Onto  Secret 

Monday  morning  he  appeared  sick  and  re- 
mained at  home  from  school.  In  the  afternoon 
his  mother  became  worried  when  he  failed  to 
recover  from  drowsiness  which  had  overtaken 
him  and  she  called  Dr.  J.  N.  Pait.  The  physi- 
cian made  an  examination  of  the  boy,  but  found 
nothing  to  account  for  his  condition. 

Then  he  rubbed  his  hand  over  his  head.  The 
telltale  blood  revealed  the  fact  that  the  boy  had 
been  injured.  With  the  little  brother  holding 
on  to  his  coat  the  boy  walked  bravely  to  an 
automobile  and  was  taken  to  the  Kenosha 


234 


TYPES  OF  STORIES 


hospital,  where  the    X-ray    machine  revealed 
his  secret. 

All  Functions  Remain  Normal 

This  afternoon  at  the  hospital  it  was  declared 
that  the  boy  showed  no  sign  of  fever  and  that 
his  pulse  was  normal. 

"The  case  is  a  most  remarkable  one,"  de- 
clared Dr.  Pait.  "The  boy  is  cheerful  and 
every  organ  of  the  body  is  performing  its  func- 
tions, but  at  that  there  is  the  bullet  in  his  brain. 
We  expect  sudden  collapse  in  the  case,  but  a 
boy  as  brave  as  he  is  should  live."  The  little 
fellow  made  no  complaint  and  when  the  smaller 
brother  was  brought  to  the  hospital  their  greet- 
ing was  of  a  most  tender  nature. 

"That  big  machine  gave  it  away,"  was  the 
way  the  injured  boy  broke  the  story  of  his  seem- 
ing faithlessness  to  his  trust.1 

284.  Feature  Story  Writers.  —  Feature  stories  in  the 
Sunday  supplement  are  written  generally  by  a  regular  staff 
of  writers.  Some  of  the  staff  are  office  men  on  the  pay-roll 
of  the  papers.  Others  are  regular  contributors  who  fill 
certain  amounts  of  space  each  week  or  month.  Still  others, 
specialists  in  their  lines,  write  only  occasionally,  but  deal  in 
a  scholarly,  exhaustive  way  with  their  subjects.  The  feature 
stories  in  the  news  columns  are  written  generally  by  the 
stronger  men  on  the  regular  staff  of  reporters.  Some  papers 
have  regular  feature  men  on  whom  they  rely  for  human  in- 
terest stories.  And  any  newspaper  man  who  can  handle 
such  stories  well  may  be  sure  of  a  place  at  an  advanced 
salary  over  the  ordinary  reporter.  Feature  stories  are  com- 
ing more  and  more  into  prominence  on  the  large  dailies 
because  of  their  appeal  to  all  classes  of  society,  and  the  be- 
ginner, as  soon  as  he  becomes  acquainted  with  his  surround- 
ings and  gains  dexterity  in  the  handling  of  news,  is  advised 
to  try  his  hand  at  the  human  interest  type.  It  will  pay, 
and  success  in  this  field  will  give  a  much  desired  prestige. 

rd^ 

1  Chicago  Tribune,  March  3,  1915. 


XX.     CORRESPONDENCE   STORIES 

285.  Correspondence  Work.  —  In  style  and  construction 
correspondence  stories  are  not  different  from  the  preceding 
types  of  news  stories.    They  are  taken  up  for  separate  ex- 
amination because  their  value  as  news  is  reckoned  differently, 
because  the  transmission  of  them  by  mail,  telegraph,  and 
telephone  is  individual,  and  because  so  many  reporters  have 
to  know  how  to  handle  correspondence  work.     Statistics 
show  that  20,000  of  the  25,000  newspapers  in  the  United 
States  are  country  papers;   and  it  is  from  the  reporters  on 
these  weeklies  and  small  dailies  that  the  big  journals  obtain 
most  of  their  state  and  sectional  news.     In  addition,  every 
large  daily  has  in  the  chief  cities  its   representatives  who, 
while  often  engaged  in  regular  reporting,  nevertheless  do 
work  of  a  correspondence  nature.     It  is  highly  advisable, 
therefore,    that   every   newspaper   man,    because   probably 
some  day  he  may  have  to  do  correspondence  work,  should 
know  how  to  gather,  write,  and  file  such  stories. 

286.  Estimating  the  Worth  of  News.  —  A  correspondent 
is  both  like  and  unlike  a  regular  reporter  —  like,  in  that  in 
his  district  he  is  the  paper's  representative  and  upon  him 
depends  the  accurate    or  inaccurate  publication  of    news; 
unlike,  in  that  he  is  comparatively  free  from  supervision 
and  direction,  and  hence  must  be  discriminating  in  judging 
news.     It  is  the  correspondent  especially  who  must  have  the 
proverbial  "nose  for  news,"  who  must  know  the  difference 
between  information  that  is  nationally  and  merely  locally 
interesting,  who  must  be  able  to  tell  when  a  column  story  in  a 
local  paper  is  not  worth  a  stick  in  a  journal  a  hundred  miles 
away.     The  best  way  to  develop  this  discrimination  in  ap- 


236  TYPES  OF  STORIES 

- 
preciation  of  news  is  to  put  oneself  in  imagination  in  the 

place  of  a  resident  of  Boston  or  Atlanta  or  Chicago,  where 
the  paper  is  published,  and  ask  oneself  if  such-and-such  an 
item  of  news  would  be  interesting  were  one  reading  the  paper 
there.  For  example,  one  has  just  learned  that  Andrew  Jones, 
the  local  blacksmith,  has  had  an  explosion  of  powder  in  his 
shop,  causing  a  loss  of  a  hundred  dollars,  with  no  insurance. 
One  should  ask  oneself  if  this  story  would  be  worth  while  to 
readers  who  know  nothing  of  Andrew  Jones  or  the  town  where 
the  accident  has  occurred.  Manifestly  not;  and  the  story 
should  not  be  sent.  But  if  one  learns  that  the  accident  was 
caused  by  the  premature  explosion  of  a  bomb  Jones  was 
making  for  the  destruction  of  a  bridge  on  the  Great  Southern 
and  Northern  Railway,  then  the  information  is  of  more  than 
local  interest  and  should  immediately  be  telegraphed  with 
full  details.  Every  correspondent  should  recognize  such 
differences  in  news  values,  for  papers  pay,  not  according  to 
the  amount  of  copy  they  receive,  but  according  to  the  amount 
they  publish.  And  on  the  other  hand,  when  correspondents 
telegraph  too  many  useless  items,  editors  sometimes  reverse 
charges  on  the  unwise  writers. 

287.  What  Not  to  Send.  —  The  first  thing  to  know  in 
correspondence  work,  therefore,  is  what  not  to  send.  Never 
report  merely  local  news,  such  as  minor  accidents,  burglaries, 
and  robberies;  obituaries,  marriages,  entertainments,  and 
court  trials  of  little  known  personages;  murders  of  obscure 
persons,  unless  unusual  in  some  way  or  involved  in  mystery; 
county  fairs,  fraternal  meetings,  high-school  commence- 
ments, local  picnics  and  celebrations;  crop  and  weather 
conditions,  unless  markedly  abnormal,  as  frost  in  June; 
praise  of  individuals,  hotels,  amusement  gardens,  business 
enterprises  generally;  in  fact,  any  press  agent  stories.  Stories 
trespassing  the  limits  of  good  taste  or  decency  should  of 
course  be  suppressed.  Local  gossip  affecting  the  reputa- 
tions of  women,  preachers,  doctors,  and  professional  men 


CORRESPONDENCE  STORIES  237 

generally  should  be  held  until  it  can  be  verified.  Any  sen- 
sational news,  indeed,  should  be  carefully  investigated  before 
being  put  on  the  wires.  But  as  the  Associated  Press  says 
in  a  pamphlet  of  instructions  to  its  employees: 

A  rumor  of  sensational  news  should  not  be  held  too 
long  for  verification.  If  the  rumor  is  not  libelous  it 
should  be  sent  immediately  as  a  rumor,  with  the  ad- 
dition that  "  the  story  is  being  investigated."  Should 
the  news,  however,  involve  persons  or  firms  in  a  charge 
that  might  be  libelous,  a  note  to  the  editors,  marked 
"  Private,  not  for  publication,"  should  be  bulletined 
that  "such  and  such  a  story  has  come  to  our  attention 
and  is  being  investigated." 

While  accuracy  in  The  Associated  Press  despatches 
is  of  the  highest  value  and  we  would  rather  be  beaten 
than  send  out  an  untruthful  statement,  there  is  such 
a  thing  as  carrying  the  effort  to  secure  accuracy  so  far 
as  to  delay  the  perfectly  proper  announcement  of  a 
rumor.  So  long  as  it  is  a  rumor  only  it  should  be 
announced  as  a  rumor. 

288.  What  to  Send.  —  After  cautioning  the  correspondent 
against  sending  stories  containing  merely  local  news,  un- 
founded rumors,  and  details  offensive  to  good  taste,  one  must 
leave  him  to  gather  for  himself  what  his  paper  wants.  Big 
news,  of  course,  is  always  good;  but  those  special  types  of 
news,  those  little  hobbies  for  which  individual  papers  have 
characteristic  weaknesses,  one  can  learn  only  by  studying 
the  columns  of  the  paper  for  which  one  corresponds.  Some 
newspapers  make  specialties  of  freak  news,  such  as  odd  actions 
of  lightning,  three-legged  chickens,  etc.  Others  will  not 
consider  such  stories.  One  daily  in  America  wants  a  bulletin 
of  every  death  or  injury  resulting  from  celebrations  of  the 
Fourth  of  July.  Another  in  a  Middle  Western  state  wants 
all  sporting  news  in  its  state,  particularly  that  concerning 
colleges  and  high  schools.  Still  another,  an  Eastern  paper 
this  time,  wants  educational  news  —  what  the  colleges  are 


238  TYPES  OF  STORIES 

doing.  Other  kinds  of  information  in  which  individual 
publications  specialize  are  news  of  nationally  prominent 
men  and  women,  human  interest  love  stories,  odd  local 
historical  data,  humorous  or  pathetic  animal  stories,  golfing 
anecdotes,  increase  or  decrease  in  liquor  sales  or  the  number 
of  saloon  licenses,  etc. 

289.  Conducting  a   Local   Column.  —  When   conducting 
a  column  giving  the  news  of  a  particular  locality  or  neighbor- 
hood, the  one  thing  not  to  write  is  that  there  is  little  news  in 
the  community  this  week  or  to-day.     The  readers  of  a  column 
should  not  be  allowed  to  suspect  that  one  has  little  informa- 
tion to  present.     All  about  one  are  unnumbered  sources  of 
news  if  the  correspondent  can  only  find  them  —  humorous 
incidents,  reminiscences  of  old  pioneers,  stories  of  previous 
extremely  wet,  dry,  hot,  or  cold  seasons,  recollections  of  Civil, 
Spanish  American,  and  European  War  battles,  etc.     Such 
stories  may  be  had  for  the  asking  and  played  up  when  there 
is  "  nothing  doing  this  week. ' '     The  use  of  good  feature  stories 
bearing  directly  on  the  life  of  the  community  will  fill  one's 
column,  put  money  into  one's  pocket,  and  add  readers  to 
the  subscription  list  of  the  paper. 

290.  Stories  by  Mail.  —  A  correspondent's  stories  may 
be  sent  in  any  one  of  three  ways  —  by  mail,  telephone,  or 
telegraph.     The  mail  should  be  used  for  any  stories  the  time 
of  publication  of  which  is  not  important,  such  as  feature 
stories,  advance  stories  of  speeches,  elections,  state  celebra- 
tions, etc.     One  may  use  the  mail  for  big  stories,  provided 
there  is  certainty  of  the  letter  reaching  the  office  by  10:00  A.M. 
for  afternoon  papers  and  8:00  P.M.  for  morning  papers.    If 
the  news  is  big,  it  is  best  to  put  a  special  delivery  stamp  on 
the  envelop  and  wire  the  paper  of  the  story  by  mail.    If  there 
is  doubt  about  mail  reaching  the  paper  promptly,  use  the 
telegraph  every  time.    When  sending  photographs  illustrating 
important  news  events,  one  should  use  special  delivery  stamps 
and  wire  the  paper  that  the  pictures  are  coming.    In  the 


CORRESPONDENCE   STORIES  239 

case  of  advance  speeches,  where  the  manuscript  is  forwarded 
several  days  ahead,  the  reporter  should  specify  not  only  the 
exact  day,  but  the  precise  hour  for  release  of  the  speech,  and 
at  the  time  stated  he  should  wire  definite  release,  —  that  the 
address  has  been  given,  the  speaker  beginning  at  such  and 
such  an  hour.  The  necessity  of  keeping  close  future  books 
and  of  keeping  the  state  or  telegraph  editor  in  intimate  touch 
by  mail  with  coming  events  may  be  urged  upon  all  cor- 
respondents. A  single  event  properly  played  up  by  a  skillful 
correspondent  may  be  made  productive,  before  its  occur- 
rence, of  three  or  four  attractive  mail  stories.  And  it  is  the 
quantity  of  such  stories  that  adds  to  the  reporter's  much 
desired  revenue. 

291.  Stories    by    Telephone.  -  -  The    telephone    is    used 
when  the  mails  are  too  slow  or  a  telegraph  office  is  not  con- 
venient, or  when  there  is  need  of  getting  into  personal  com- 
munication with  the  office.    In  using  the  telephone  one 
caution  only  may  be  given,  that  the  correspondent  should 
never  call  up  the  state  editor  with  merely  a  jumble  of  facts 
at  hand.     Long-distance  messages  are  costly  and  editors 
watch  all  calls  closely  in  an  effort  to  reduce  tolls  to  a  minimum. 
If  possible,  the  correspondent  should  have  his  story  written  — 
certainly  he  should  have  it  sketched  on  paper  —  before  calling 
the  office,  so  that  he  may  dictate  his  news  in  the  shortest 
possible  time. 

292.  Stories  by  Telegraph.  -  -  The  telegraph  is  for  stories 
demanding  immediacy  of  print,  and  certain  rules  govern 
their    handling    that    every    correspondent    should    know. 
Suppose  at  six  o'clock  some  afternoon  an  automobile  owned 
and  driven  by  Otto  Thomson,  receiving  teller  for  the  local 
Commercial  Bank,  skids  over  a  slippery,  tar-covered  pave- 
ment into  a  telegraph  pole  on  one  of  the  main  streets  of  the 
town,  killing  him  and  severely  injuring  two  women  in  the 
car.    What  should  the  correspondent  do  in  such  a  case? 
The  accident  is  good  for  a  half-column  in  The  Herald,  the 


240  TYPES  OF  STORIES 

local  morning  daily,  but  because  Thomson  was  only  moder- 
ately prominent,  one  is  doubtful  if  it  is  worth  much  in  Th .? 
World,  the  great  daily  a  hundred  miles  away.  After  con- 
sidering all  the  details,  however,  —  Thomson's  position 
locally  and  the  fact  that  the  city  may  be  held  liable  for  the 
excess  of  tar  at  a  dangerous  turn  in  the  streets,  —  the  re- 
porter may  conclude  that  the  story  is  worth  four  hundred 
words.  He  is  still  doubtful,  however,  whether  the  city  paper 
will  consider  it  worth  publishing.  His  message,  therefore, 
—  technically  known  as  a  "query"  —  should  be: 

Otto  Thomson,  receiving  teller  Commercial  Bank, 
killed  at  six  P:  M.  by  automobile  skidding  into  telegraph 
pole.  Two  women  in  car  injured.  Four  hundred. 
8:35  P.M.  A.  D.  Anderson 

This  means  that  the  correspondent  is  prepared  to  wire  a 
400- word  story  about  the  accidental  death  of  Otto  Thomson. 
It  tells,  too,  that  the  query  was  filed  at  8:35,  so  that  blame 
may  be  placed  if  delivery  is  delayed.  There  is  no  need  to 
ask  if  the  paper  wants  further  details  or  how  much  it  wants. 
The  message  itself  is  an  inquiry.  One  other  important  point 
about  it  is  that  it  bulletins  the  news.  It  is  not  a  " blind" 
query  stating  that  "a  prominent  citizen  has  been  killed"  o* 
that  "a  regrettable  tragedy  has  occurred."  It  gives  the  facts 
concisely,  so  that  the  editor,  if  he  wishes,  may  publish  them 
immediately  and  may  decide  whether  additional  details  are 
worth  while. 

293.  Waiting  for  the  Reply.  —  While  the  correspondent 
is  waiting  for  the  reply,  he  should  begin  his  story  and,  if  pos- 
sible, have  it  ready  by  the  time  the  dispatch  comes.  The 
most  important  details  should  be  placed  first,  of  course,  so 
that  if  the  state  editor  asks  for  fewer  than  four  hundred 
words,  the  correspondent  will  have  to  kill  only  the  last 
paragraph  or  so  and  send  the  first  part  of  the  story  as 
originally  written.  There  is  no  need  of  skeletonizing  the; 
story  to  lessen  telegraphic  charges:  that  is,  of  omitting  the's. 


CORRESPONDENCE   STORIES  241 

a's,  an's,  is's,  etc.  The  small  amount  saved  in  this  way  is 
more  than  offset  by  the  additional  time  and  cost  of  editing 
in  the  office. 

294.  The  Reply.  —  In  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  or  per- 
haps a  half -hour,  a  reply  will  come,  reading,  say,  "Rush 
three  hundred  banker's  death."    This  means  that  the  cor- 
respondent must  keep  his  story  within  three  hundred  words, 

-an  injunction  which  he  must  observe  strictly.  Woe  to 
the  self-confident  writer  who  sends  five  hundred  words 
when  three  hundred  have  been  ordered.  He  will  receive  a 
prompt  reprimand  for  his  first  offense  and  probable  discharge 
for  the  second.  If,  however,  he  has  used  his  time  wisely 
since  sending  the  query  and  has  written  his  story  rightly, 
he  will  have  no  trouble  in  lopping  off  the  final  paragraph 
and  putting  the  three  hundred  words  on  the  wire  within  a 
few  minutes  after  receipt  of  the  order. 

295.  No  Reply.  -  -  The  correspondent  need  not  be  sur- 
prised or  chagrined,  however,  if  no  reply  comes,  —  the  paper's 
silence  meaning  that  the  story  is  not  wanted.    The  accident 
may  have  been  covered  by  one  of  the  regular  news  bureaus  — 
the  Associated  Press,  the  United  Press,  or  possibly  a  local 
news-gathering  organization.    Or  the    bulletin    itself  may 
have  been  all  the  paper  wanted,  —  due  credit  and  pay  for 
which  the  correspondent  will  receive  at  the  end  of  the  month. 
Or  the  story  may  have  been  crowded  out  by  news  of  greater 
importance.     This  last  reason  is  a  very  possible  one,  which 
every  correspondent  should  consider  whenever  a  story  breaks. 
The  space  value  of  a  paper's  columns  doubles  and  quad- 
ruples as  press  time  approaches,  —  so  that  a  story  which 
would  be  given  generous  space  if  received  at  eight  o'clock 
may  be  thrown  into  the  wastebasket  if  received  four  hours 
later. 

296.  Hours  for  Filing.  -  -  The    extreme   hours  for   filing 
dispatches  to  catch   the  various  editions  are  worth  noting 
and  remembering.     For  an  afternoon  paper  the  story  should 


242  TYPES  OF  STORIES 

be  in  the  hands  of  the  telegraph  operator  not  later  than  9:00 
A.M.  for  the  noon  edition,  12:00  M.  for  the  three  o'clock, 
and  2:00  P.M.  for  the  five  o'clock  edition.  If  the  news  is 
extraordinary  —  big  enough  to  justify  ripping  open  the  front 
page  —  it  may  be  filed  as  late  as  2:30  P.M.,  though  the  col- 
umns of  an  afternoon  paper  are  practically  closed  to  cor- 
respondents after  12:30  or  1:00  P.M.  Any  news  occurring 
after  2 130  P.M.  should  be  filed  as  early  as  possible,  but  should 
be  marked  N.  P.  R.  (night  press  rate),  so  that  it  will  be  sent 
after  6:00  P.M.,  when  telegraphic  charges  are  smaller.  For 
a  morning  paper  news  may  be  filed  as  late  as  2:00  A.M., 
though  the  columns  are  practically  closed  to  correspondents 
after  midnight. 

297.  Big  News.  —  When  big  or  unusual  news  breaks,  — 
news  about  which  there  is  no  doubt  of  the  general  interest,  — 
the  correspondent  should  bulletin  a  lead  immediately,  with 
the  probable  length  of  the  story  and  the  time  of  filing  affixed. 
Thus: 

Marietta,  Ga.,  Aug.  17.  —  Leo  M.  Frank,  whom 
the  Georgia  courts  declared  guilty  of  the  murder  of 
fourteen-year-old  Mary  Phagan  of  Marietta,  was 
lynched  two  miles  from  here  at  an  early  hour  this 
morning.  Frank  was  brought  in  an  automobile  to 
Marietta  by  a  band  of  twenty-five  masked  men  who 
stormed  the  Milledgeville  prison  farm  shortly  after 
midnight.  Two  thousand.  8:35.  Sherman 

Then  —  particularly  if  the  hour  is  nearing  press  time  — • 
the  correspondent  should  follow  as  rapidly  as  possible  with 
instalments  of  the  detailed  story,  without  waiting  for  a  reply 
to  the  bulletin  lead.  When  there  is  doubt  about  the  length, 
editors  would  rather  have  one  not  take  chances  on  delaying 
the  news,  —  would  rather  have  too  much  of  a  story  than 
too  little.  Besides,  a  writer  cannot  get  further  than  the 
second  or  third  instalment  before  specific  orders  will  arrive 
from  the  paper. 


CORRESPONDENCE  STORIES  243 

298.  The  Detailed  Story.  —  After  the  lead,  the  details 
follow  as  in  a  normal  story,  the  individual  instalments  being 
given  the  operator  as  fast  as  he  can  take  them,  each  one 
marked  "More"  except  the   last,  which   is  marked  "30." 
Thus  the  continuation  of  the  bulletin  lead  of  the  Frank 
lynching  just  given  would  be: 

Not  one  of  the  armed  prison  guards,  according  to  the 
best  information  now  obtainable,  raised  a  hand  to 
prevent  the  mob  accomplishing  its  purpose.  Frank 
was  taken  from  his  cell  and  rushed  to  a  spot  previ- 
ously chosen  for  the  lynching,  about  a  hundred  miles 
from  the  prison.  Not  a  soul,  it  is  said,  knew  positively 
whether  the  men  were  his  friends  or  his  enemies  until 
the  lifeless  body  was  discovered  this  morning.  More. 
8:45  P.  M.  Sherman 

Then  the  final  instalment  might  read: 

The  rope  placed  around  Frank's  neck  was  tied  in 
such  a  way  as  to  reopen  the  wound  caused  some 
weeks  ago  when  a  fellow  prisoner  attempted  to  kill  him 
by  cutting  his  throat.  Loss  of  blood  from  the  re- 
opened wound  no  doubt  would  have  caused  his  death 
had  he  not  strangled.  Thirty.  9:15.  Sherman 

The  " thirty"  is  the  telegrapher's  signal  indicating  the  com- 
pletion of  the  story. 

299.  Sporting  News.  —  In  handling  sporting  news  a  few 
specific  instructions  are  needful,  the  first  being  the  necessity 
of  absolute  impartiality  in  all  controversies.     Local  rival 
sportsmen  in  their  keen  desire  to  win  are  continually  breeding 
quarrels,  which  frequently  make  it  difficult  for  the  observer 
not  to  be  biased;    but  the  correspondent  must  be  careful 
to  present  simple  facts  only,  without  editorializing.     The 
need  of  filing  all  afternoon  scores  by  7:30  P.M.,  with  8:00  P.M. 
as  the  outside  limit,  should  also  be  noted.     Morning  papers 
put  their  sporting  news  on  inside  pages  and  must  make  up 


244  TYPES  OF  STORIES 

the  forms  early.  There  is  need  of  the  utmost  caution  in 
having  the  news  correct,  particularly  the  box  scores  of  base- 
ball games,  which  have  an  unhappy  way  of  failing  to  balance 
when  one  compares  individual  scores  with  the  totals.  In 
all  contests  where  a  seeming  new  record  has  been  made,  the 
correspondent  should  be  sure  of  the  record  before  telegraph- 
ing it  as  such.  If  there  is  the  slightest  doubt,  report  it  as 
"what  is  said  to  be  a  "record."  Finally,  one  should  be  cau- 
tioned against  reporting  mere  high-school  contests,  boxing 
bouts  between  local  men,  and  other  sporting  news  possessing 
limited  interest  only. 

300.   General  Instructions.  —  In  conclusion,  a  few  general 
instructions  may  be  given  for  the  guidance  of  correspondents: 

1.  When   forwarding   time   stories,   advance   manuscript 
of  speeches,  cuts,  etc.,  send  by  mail.    The  express  companies 
do  not  deliver  at  night. 

2.  In  telegrams  spell  out  round  numbers;   and  mark  the 
beginning  of  speeches  by  the  word  quote,  and  the  end  by  end 
quote. 

3.  Keep  the  telegraph  companies  informed  always  of  your 
street  address  and  telephone  number.     It  is  well  also  to 
maintain  friendly  relations  with  the  operators.     Frequently 
they  can  be  of  valuable  service  to  a  correspondent. 

4.  Finish  all  incomplete  stories.     It  sometimes  happens 
that  one  will  wire  a  dispatch  of  the  beginning  of  a  seeming 
big  fire  or  a  seeming  great  murder  mystery,  which  the  paper 
will  feature  as  important  news,  but  which  later  will  prove 
of  no  worth.     Such  stories  should  be  cleared  up  and  the  re- 
sults made  known  to  avoid  keeping  the  paper  in  a  quandary 
over  the  outcome. 

5.  When  reporting  fires,  accidents,  disasters,  etc.,  locate 
the  scene  as  accurately  as  possible.    This  is  sometimes  ac- 
complished by  reference  to  well-known  buildings  or  land 
marks,  in  addition  to  the  exact  street  location. 

6.  When  a  big  story  breaks,  go  after  it,  no  matter  if  there 


CORRESPONDENCE  STORIES  245 

is  need  of  incurring  expense.    Papers  will  stand  any  reason- 
able expense  for  valuable  news. 

7.  Never  forget  the  worth  of  sending  time.    Every  minute 
is  valuable. 

8.  Until  you  have  received  your  first  check,  clip  and  keep 
every  story  printed.     Most  papers  keep  their  own  accounts 
with  correspondents,  but  some  require  them  to  send  in  at 
the  end  of  each  month  their  " string:"  that  is,  all  their  stories 
pasted  together  end  to  end.     Payment  is  then  made  on  the 
basis  of  the  number  of  columns,  the  rates  varying  from  $2 
to  $7  a  column  of  1500  words. 


APPENDIX 


STYLE-BOOK 

I.     HANDLING   COPY 

1.  Definition.  —  Copy  is  any  manuscript  prepared  for 
printing,  and  is  written  according  to  the  individual  style 
rules  of  each  newspaper.  The  first  thing  for  a  reporter 
to  do  on  beginning  work  in  an  office  is  to  ask  for  the 
style-book,  the  manual  for  the  guidance  of  reporters,  copy- 
readers,  and  compositors.  The  chances  are  nine  to  one  that 
the  paper  will  not  have  such  a  book,  since  only  the  larger 
dailies  print  their  rules  of  style,  and  that  the  reporter  must 
study  the  columns  of  the  paper  and  the  changes  made  in 
his  own  stories  for  the  individual  office  rules.  If  the  paper 
happens  to  be  the  tenth  one,  however,  the  reporter  should 
employ  every  spare  moment  studying  the  manual  and  should 
write  every  story,  even  his  first  one,  as  nearly  as  possible  in 
accord  with  the  printed  rules,  as  the  copy  readers  will  insist 
on  a  strict  observance  of  the  regulations.  Many  of  the  rules 
will  be  mere  don'ts,  embodying  common  errors  of  diction. 
Others  may  be  particular  aversions  of  the  editor  or  the  head 
copy-reader  and  may  have  little  regard  for  or  relation  to 
best  usage.  But  such  rules  must  be  observed,  even  though 
they  may  be  as  absurd  and  contrary  to  all  custom,  as  that  of 
one  metropolitan  paper  which  makes  its  reporters  write 
"Farwell-av,"  a  usage  peculiar  to  that  journal.  All  such 
requirements  may  be  found  in  the  style-book,  which,  when- 
ever in  doubt,  the  reporter  should  consult  rather  than  the 
columns  of  the  paper,  as  the  paper  is  not  always  reliable. 


250  STYLE-BOOK 

Uhcorrected  matter  is  frequently  hurried  into  the  forms, 
causing  variations  that  the  rules  of  composition  forbid. 

2.  The  Typewriter.  -  -  The  first  requirement  in  preparing 
copy  is  a  knowledge  of  how  to  handle  a  typewriter  dexter- 
ously.   In  all  offices  the  reporters  are  furnished  with  type- 
writers, and  one  is  helpless  until  one  learns  how  to  use  a 
machine.    Longhand  copy  rarely  is  sent  to  the  compositors 
nowadays.     If  such  copy  comes  into  the  office,  it  is  generally 
given  to  stenographers  or  reporters  to  type  before  being 
dispatched  to  the  composing  room. 

3.  Longhand    Copy.  —  At    times,    however,    when   away 
from  the  office,  one  cannot  obtain  a  machine  and  must  write 
in  longhand.     Jn  such  cases,  write  with  painstaking  care  for 
accuracy.     Other  things  being  equal,  it  is  the  legible  copy 
that  survives.     Unusual  proper  names  and  technical  words 
that  are  liable  to  be  mistaken  in  copying  should  be  printed 
letter  by  letter.     If  there  is  a  possibility  at  any  time  of  con- 
fusing an  o  with  an  a,  or  a  u  with  an  n,  the  u  and  a  should  be 
underscored  and  the  n  and  o  overscored.     Quotation-marks 
should  be  enclosed  in  half-circles  —  thus,  \i/  jag  w  — to  show 
whether  they  are  beginning  or  end  marks.     And  instead  of 
a  period,  a  small  cross  should  be  used,  or  else  the  period  be 
enclosed  in  a  circle. 

4.  Paper.  —  Writing  paper  is  always  supplied  in  the  office. 
Even  when  one  is  a  correspondent  in  a  neighboring  town, 
stationery,  including  self-addressed  envelopes,  is  frequently 
furnished  by  the  journal  for  which  one  corresponds.     Some 
newspapers,  however,  do  not  provide  writing  supplies.     In 
such  cases  the  correspondent  should  choose  unglazed  paper 
of  a  neutral   tint  —  gray,  yellow,  or  manila  brown.    The 
paper  most  commonly  used  is  unruled  print  paper  6  x  9  or 
8j  x  ii  inches  in  size  and  of  sufficient  firmness  to  permit 
use  of  either  ink  or  pencil. 

5.  Margins.  —  Except  for  the  writer's  name  in  a  ring  at 
the  extreme  left  corner  of  the  page,  the  top  half  of  the  first 


HANDLING  COPY  251 

page  of  copy  should  be  left  blank,  so  that  the  headlines  may 
be  written  there  by  the  headline  writer.  All  the  sheets 
should  have  a  margin  of  an  inch  at  the  bottom  and  at  each 
side  of  the  paper,  and  all  other  sheets  than  the  first  should 
have  a  margin  of  an  inch  at  the  top.  The  side  margins  are 
necessary  for  the  corrections  of  the  copy  editors;  the  margins 
at  the  bottom  are  for  convenience  in  pasting  the  sheets 
together;  and  the  top  margins  are  necessary  for  paging. 

6.  Paragraph  Indention,  —  All  paragraphs,  including  the 
first,  should  be  indented  an  inch,  irrespective  of  where  the 
preceding  paragraph  has  ended,  and  should  be  marked  with 
the  paragraph  sign,  a  rectangle  (L)  placed  before  the  first 
word.    If  two  paragraphs  have  been  run  together  thought- 
lessly and  it  is  necessary  to  separate  them,  insert  the  para- 
graph symbol  (K)  immediately  before  the  word  beginning 
the  new  paragraph  and  write  the  same  symbol  in  the  margin. 
If  the  paragraph  completes  the  page,  a  paragraph  sign  also 
should  be  put  at  the  end,  to  indicate  to  the  compositor  that 
he  may  conclude  his  "take"  with  a  broken  line.     No  other 
lines  than  the  first  lines  of  paragraphs  —  quotations  and 
summaries  of  course  excepted  —  should  be  indented. 

7.  Consolidation  of  Paragraphs.  —  When  it  is  necessary 
to  consolidate  two  paragraphs  that  have  been  written  sepa- 
rately, draw  a  line  from  the  end  of  the  first  to  the  beginning 
of  the  second  and  mark  No  ^f  in  the  margin.     Use  the  same 
method  when  several  lines  or  sentences  have  been  canceled 
and  the  matter  is  meant  to  be  continuous.    Or  when  a  new 
sentence  has  been  indented  unnecessarily,  no  paragraph  be- 
ing needed,  draw  a  line  from  the  first  word  to  the  left  margin 
and  mark  No  If  there.    If  a  sentence  ends  at  the  foot  of  a 
sheet,  but  the  paragraph  continues  on  the  next  page,  draw 
a  diagonal  line  from  the  last  word  to  the  right  corner  at  the 
foot  of  the  page,  and  on  the  next  sheet  draw  a  diagonal  line 
from  the  upper  left  corner  to  the  first  word  of   the  new 
sentence.    These  lines  indicate  to  the  compositor  that  any 


252  STYLE-BOOK 

"take"  ending  with  the  first  page  or  beginning  with  the 
second  is  not  complete  and  may  not  conclude  with  a  broken 
line  or  begin  with  an  indented  one. 

8.  Crowded  Lines.  —  Do  not  crowd  lines  together.    When 
the  copy  is  typewritten,  adjust  the  machine  to  make  triple 
spaces  between  lines.     When  it  is  necessary  to  write  the  copy 
in   longhand,    leave    a   quarter-inch    space   between   lines. 
Crowded  lines  saddle  much  extra  trouble  upon  copy-readers, 
compelling  them  to  cut  and  paste  many  times  to  make  neces- 
sary corrections.     Exception  to  the  rule  against  crowded 
lines  is  made  only  when  one  has  a  paragraph  a  trifle  too  long 
for  a  page.     It  is  better  to  crowd  the  last  lines  of  a  page  a 
trifle  than  to  run  two  or  three  words  of  a  paragraph  over  to 
a  new  page. 

9.  The  Pages.  —  If  a  paragraph  would  normally  begin 
on  the  last  line  of  a  page,  leave  the  line  blank  and  start  the 
new  paragraph  on  a  fresh  sheet  of  paper.    One  may  not 
write  on  more  than  one  side  of  a  sheet,  not  even  if  there  are 
only  two  or  three  words  to  go  on  the  next  page.    In  the 
offices  of  the  big  dailies  each  sheet  is  cut  into  takes,  numbered 
consecutively,  and  sent  to  as  many  different  compositors. 
Irremediable  confusion  would  be  caused  for  a  foreman  who 
tried  to  handle  copy  written  on  both  sides,  for  each  take 
would  contain  a  part  of  some  other  compositor's  copy.    The 
new  page,  too,  should  be  numbered  at  the  top  with  an  arabic, 
not  a  roman,  numeral.    And  in  order  to  prevent  the  figure 
from  being  mistaken  for  a  part  of  the  article,  it  should  be 
enclosed  in  a  circle. 

10.  Insertions.  —  The  reporter  should  make  as  few  cor- 
rections as  possible.     But  where  any  considerable  addition 
or  insertion  is  found  necessary  on  a  page,  instead  of  writing 
the  addition  in  the  margin  or  on  a  separate  sheet,  cut  the 
page  and  paste  in  the  addition.    The  sheet  may  be  made 
the  same  length  as  its  fellows  by  folding  the  lower  edge 
forward  upon  the  written  page.    If  it  is  folded  backward, 


HANDLING   COPY  253 

the  fold  is  liable  to  be  unnoticed,  and  therefore  may  cause 
confusion. 

11.  "Add  Stories."  — When  a  story  is  incomplete,  either 
by  reason  of  the  end  of  the  page  being  reached  or  because 
all  the  story  is  not  yet  in,  write  the  word  More  in  a  circle  at 
the  foot  of  the  page,  the  purpose  of  the  circle  being  to  pre- 
vent the  compositor  from  mistaking  the  word  for  a  part  of 
the    story.     "Add"    stories, — stories    that    follow    others 
already  written  or  in  type,  —  are  marked  with  the  catch 
line  and  the  number  of  the  addition.    Thus  the  first  addition 
to  a  story  about  a  saloon  robbery  would  be  marked,  "Add  i, 
Saloon  Robbery";  and  the  second  would  be,  "Add  2,  Saloon 
Robbery."    An  insert  into  the  story  would  be  slugged,  "In- 
sert A,  Saloon  Robbery";  and  the  precise  place  of  the  insert 
would  be  indicated  at  the  top  of  the  inserted  page:   "Insert 
after  first  paragraph  of  lead,  Saloon  Robbery."    Such  di- 
rections are  always  enclosed  in  rings  so  that  the  compositor 
may  not  set  them  in  the  story. 

12.  Illustrations,  Clippings.  —  If  cuts  or  illustrations  are 
to  be  printed  with  the  copy,  indicate  as  nearly  as  possible 
where  they  will  appear  in  the  printed  story  by  "Turn  rule 
for  cut."    That  says  to  the  compositor,  "Make  in  the  proofs 
a  black  ruled  line  for  later  insertion  of  a  cut."    The  make-up 
editor  may  change  the  position  of  the  cut  to  obtain  a  better 
balance  of  illustrations  on  the  page  or  to  avoid  putting  the 
picture  where  the  paper  will  fold,  but  the  direction  will  be 
worth  while  as  an  aid  in  placing  the  illustration  accurately. 
Clippings  included  in  the  story  should  be  pasted  in  the  copy. 
Pins  and  clips  slip  easily  and  may  cause  loss  of  tfye  clipping. 

13.  Underscoring.  —  Underscore    once    for  italics,   twice 
for  SMALL  CAPITALS,  and  three  times  for  CAPITALS.    Use 
wave-line    underscoring    to    indicate    display    type.    Many 
newspapers  have  abandoned  italic  type  and  small  capitals 
altogether,  because  their  linotype  machines  carry  only  two 
kinds  of  type,  and  black-face  type  is  needed  for  headlines, 


254  STYLE-BOOK 

etc.  Because  of  this,  where  one  formerly  might  underscore 
a  word  for  emphasis,  it  is  necessary  now  to  reword  the 
sentence  altogether. 

14.  Corrections.  —  When  it  is  necessary   to   strike   out 
letters  or  words  from  copy,  run  the  pen  or  pencil  through 
them  and  draw  a  line  between  those  to  be  set  up  together. 
Do  not  enclose  in  parentheses  words  to  be  erased.     A  printer 
will  not  omit,  but  will  set  up  in  type,  parentheses  and  every- 
thing enclosed  within  them.     When  a  letter  or  word  has  been 
wrongly  stricken  out,  it  may  be  restored  by  making  a  series 
of  dots  immediately  beneath  and  writing  the  word  stet  in 
the  margin.     Two  letters,  words,  or  phrases  that  one  wishes 
transposed  may  be  so  indicated  by  drawing  a  continuous 
line  over  the  first  and  under  the  second  and  writing  tr  in  the 
margin.     A  capital  letter  that  should  be  a  small  letter  may 
be  so  indicated  by  drawing  a  line  downward  from  right  to 
left  through  the  letter.     Because  of  the  haste  frequently  nec- 
essary in  writing-  copy,  it  has  become  a  trick  of  the  trade 
to  enclose  within  a  circle  an  abbreviation,  a  figure,  or  an 
ampersand  that  the  writer  desires  the  printer  to  spell  out  in 
full.     Do  not  "ring"  a  figure  or  a  number,  however,  without 
being  sure  it  should  be  spelled  out.    It  is  much  easier  for  a 
copy-reader  to  ring  a  number  that  needs  to  be  spelled  out 
than  to  erase  an  unnecessary  circle.     If  it  is  necessary  to 
have  the  printer  set  up  slangy,  misspelled,  or  improperly 
capitalized  words,  or  ungrammatical  or  poorly  punctuated 
sentences,  put  in  the  margin,  Follow  Copy.    For  illustrations 
of  these  corrections,  the  reader  may  examine  the  specimen 
proof  sheet  on  page  276. 

15.  The  End.  —  Mark  the  completion  of  the  story  with 
an  end  mark,  a  #,  or  the  figure  jo  in  a  circle,  the  telegrapher's 
sign  indicating  the  end  of  a  day  or  a  night  report.     Then 
read  carefully  every  page  of  the  copy,  correcting  every  error, 
no  matter  how  slight.     Finally,  give  it  to  the  city  editor, 
unfolded  if  possible,  but  never  rolled.    If  it  is  inconvenient 


HANDLING  COPY  255 

to  keep  the  pages  flat,  they  may  be  folded  lengthwise.  Fold- 
ing crosswise  makes  the  copy  inconvenient  to  handle.  The 
sheets  should  not  be  pinned  together.  The  pin  betrays  the 
novice. 

16.  The  Story  in  Type.  —  A  reporter  should  read  his  story 
with  painstaking  care  after  it  has  appeared  in  print,  to  detect 
any  errors  that  may  have  crept  into  it  since  it  left  his  hands 
and  to  note  what  changes  have  been  made  at  the  city  desk. 
It  is  told  of  a  reporter,  now  a  star  man  on  a  leading  New 
York  daily,  that  he  used  to  keep  carbon  copies  of  all  his 
stories  and  compare  them  word  for  word  with  the  articles 
as  they  appeared  in  the  paper.  Only  in  this  way  can  a 
writer  change  his  style  for  the  better .  and  learn  what  is 
expected  of  him. 


II.     PUNCTUATION 

17.  Rules.  —  While  every  well-regulated  newspaper  has 
rules  of  its  own  governing  the  use  of  capital  letters,  commas, 
dashes,  parentheses,  and  other  marks  of  punctuation,  and 
any  article  written  by  a  reporter  will  be  punctuated  accord- 
ing to  the  individual  style  of  the  paper  in  which  it  is  printed, 
no  matter  how  it  may  have  been  punctuated  originally,  it 
is  nevertheless  worth  while  to  offer  the  following  general 
rules  of  punctuation  for  the  guidance  of  news  writers.     And 
it  would  be  well  for  every  properly  trained  journalist  to  have 
these  rules  well  in  hand;  for  in  the  eyes  of  the  editor  and  the 
printer,  bad  punctuation  is  worse  than  bad  spelling,  because 
the  meaning  of  a  misspelled  word  usually  can  be  deciphered, 
while  that  of  an  improperly  punctuated  sentence  is  often 
hopeless.     For  one,  therefore,  who  hopes  to  do  successful 
journalistic  work  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  following 
rules  of  punctuation  is  practically  a  necessity. 

1.   Capital   Letters 

18.  Proper  Names.  —  Capitalize  all  proper  names.       A 
proper  name  is  one  that  designates  a  particular  person,  place, 
or  thing.     In  particular: 

19.  Titles  of  Books,  etc.  —  Capitalize  the  first  word  and 
all  the  important  words  in  the  titles  of  books,  newspapers, 
magazines,  magazine  articles,  poems,  plays,  pictures,  etc.: 
that  is,  the  first  word  and  all  other  words  except  articles, 
demonstratives,  prepositions,  conjunctions,  auxiliary  verbs, 
relative  pronouns,  and  other  pronouns  in  the  possessive  case. 
A  the  preceding  the  title  of  a  newspaper  or  a  magazine  is 
regarded  as  part  of  the  title  and  is  capitalized. 


PUNCTUATION  257 

Right.  —  Two  copies  of  The  Atlanta  Constitution  were  produced. 

20.  Names  and  Titles  of  the  Deity.  —  Capitalize  names 
and  titles  of  the  Deity  and  of  Jesus  Christ. 

21.  Names  of  the  Bible.  —  Capitalize  names  of  the  Bible 
and  other  sacred  books,  of  the  versions  of  the  Bible,  and  of 
the  books  and  divisions  of  the  Bible  and  other  sacred  books. 
Do  not  capitalize  adjectives  derived  from  such  names. 

Right.  —  The  Koran,  the  Septuagint,  the  Old  Testament,  Psalms; 
but  biblical,  scriptural,  apocryphal. 

22.  Titles  of   Respect,  Honor,   Office,  or  Profession.  - 
Capitalize  titles  of  respect,  honor,  nobility,  office,  or  profes- 
sion  when  such  titles  immediately  precede  proper  names. 
Do  not  capitalize  such  titles  elsewhere  in  the  sentence.     The 
prefix  ex-  before  a  title  is  not  capitalized  and  does  not  affect 
the  capitalization  of  the  title. 

Right.  —  The  Rev.  Samuel  Plantz,  President  Wilson,  ex-Presi- 
dent Roosevelt,  Senator  Newlands. 

Right.  —  The  archbishop  and  the  senator  were  in  conference  all 
the  morning  with  Mr.  Bryan,  former  secretary  of  state  under 
President  Wilson. 

23.  Names  Indicating  Nationality  or  Locality.  —  Capital- 
ize names  distinguishing  nationality  or  locality:  as,   Yankee, 
Creole,  Hoosier,  Wolverines. 

24.  Names    of    Athletic    Teams.  —  Capitalize    names    of 
athletic  teams:   as,  Giants,  Cubs,  Badgers,  Tigers,  Maroons. 

25.  Festivals  and  Holidays.  —  Begin  the  names  of  festivals 
and  holidays  with  capital  letters:   as,  Easter,  Thanksgiving, 
Christmas,  Labor  day. 

26.  Societies,  Political  Parties,  etc.  —  Write  with  capitals 
the  names  of  clubs,  secret  societies,  religious  denominations, 
colleges,  political  parties,  corporations,  railroads,  and  organi- 
zations generally:   as  Riverview  Country  club,  Elks,  Baptist 
church,  Mills  college,  Republican  party,  Santa  Fe  railroad,  etc. 


258  STYLE-BOOK 

27.  Ordinal  Numbers.  —  Ordinal  numbers  used  to  denote 
sessions  of  congress,  political  divisions,  and  city  wards  are 
written  with  capital  letters:  as,  Sixty-second  congress,  Tenth 
precinct,  Third  ward,  etc. 

28.  Names  of  Buildings,  Squares,  Parks,  etc.  —  Names 
of  buildings,  blocks,  squares,  parks,  drives,  etc.,  are  capital- 
ized:   as,  Times  building,   Temple  block,   Yellowstone  park, 
Sheridan  road,  etc. 

29.  Common  Nouns  Joined  with  Proper  Names.  —  Cap- 
italize any  common  noun  joined  with  a  proper  name  and 
meaning  the  same  thing,  when  the  common  noun  precedes. 
Do  not   capitalize    the   common    noun    if    it   follows   the 
proper    name.  v  Thus:    Columbia   university,   University  of 
Chicago,    First    Presbyterian  church,  Church   of  the  Savior, 
National   Bank   of  North   America,   First    National    bank, 
Memorial  day,  Fourth  of  July. 

30.  Boards,   Committees,  Legislative  Bodies,   etc.  —  Do 
not  capitalize  names  of  boards,  bureaus,  offices,  departments, 
committees,    legal,    legislative,    and   political   bodies,    etc., 
when  standing  alone:    as,  school  board,  weather  bureau,  war 
office,   health    department,   nominating    committee,    assembly, 
state  senate,  lower  house,  city  council. 

31.  Prefixes  "von,"  "de,"  etc. —  Do  not  capitalize  the 
prefixes  von,  de,  di,  le,  la,  etc.,  except  when  they  begin  a  sen- 
tence: as,  Capt.  von  Papen. 

32.  Toasts.  —  In    toasts,    capitalize    all    the    important 
words  in  the  phrase  indicating  the  person,  the  place,  or  the 
cause  to  which  the  toast  is  made:  as,  "My  Country  —  May 
it  always  be  right;   but,  right  or  wrong,  my  country. " 

33.  Nouns  Followed  by  Numerals. — Do  not  capitalize  a 
noun  followed  by  a  numeral  indicating  position,  place,  or 
order  of  sequence:   as,  lot  14,  block  3;  article  in,  section  6, 
act  v,  etc. 

34.  Resolutions  for  Debate.  —  In  resolutions  for  debate, 
capitalize  the  Resolved  and  the  That  following. 


PUNCTUATION 


259 


Right.  —  Resolved,  That  Missouri  should  establish  schedules  of 
minimum  wages  for  workmen,  constitutionality  conceded. 

2.  The  Period 

35.  Roman  Numerals.  —  Omit   the  period  after  roman 
numerals:  as, Louis  XIV  of  France. 

36.  Abbreviations.  —  Place    a   period   after   abbreviated 
words  and  after  single  or  double  initial  letters  representing 
single  words:  as,  Wm.,  Thos.,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  etc. 

37.  Contractions.  —  Do  not  put  a  period  after  contracted 
words,  including  nicknames:  as,  BUI,  Tom,  can't,  hadn't,  etc. 

38.  Side-Heads.  —  Put  a  period  after  side-heads,  includ- 
ing figures  at  the  beginning  of  a  paragraph.     Compare,  for 
example,  the  period  after  Side- Heads  at  the  beginning  of 
this  paragraph. 

3.  The  Colon 

39.  Formal  Quotations.  —  A  colon  is  used  to  introduce 
a  formal  quotation. 

Right.  —  The  author  also  makes  this  significant  statement : 
"There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  this  disease  plays  a 
larger  part  in  the  production  of  idiocy  than  has  hitherto  been 
admitted  by  writers  on  insanity." 

40.  Formal  Enumerations.  —  In  lists  of  the  dead,  injured, 
persons  present,   and  similar  enumerations  of  particulars, 
use  a  colon  to  introduce  the  series. 

Right.  —  Only  four  patrons  appeared  in  this  morning's  police 
matinee:  Chip  Owens,  Allie  McGowan,  Alfonso  Bias,  and 
Nick  Muskowitz. 

41.  Time  Indications.  —  In  time  indications  and  records 
place  a  colon  between  hours  and  minutes,  and  minutes  and 
seconds:  as,  Gates  open,  2:30;   Time,  1:42. 

42.  General  Usage.  —  In  general,  use  a  colon  after  any 
word,  phrase,  or  clause  when  that  which  follows  explains  or 
makes  clear  what  precedes. 


26o  STYLE-BOOK 

4.   The  Semicolon 

43.  Compound  Sentences.  —  A  semicolon  is  used  in  com- 
pound sentences  to  separate  independent  clauses  that  have 
no  connective  between.     The  semicolon  in  such  construc- 
tions, however,  is  fast  disappearing  from  newspaper  columns. 
Complex  constructions  are  avoided.     Usage  favors  making 
a  separate  sentence  of  the  second  clause. 

Right.  —  Brown  came  first;  Johnson  followed  five  seconds  later, 

with  Jones  third. 
Permissible.  —  The    murder    was    committed    sometime    before 

12:00  o'clock;    at    8:00  this  morning    the  murderer  was  in 

jail. 
Better.  —  The'  murder   was   committed   sometime   before    1 2  :oo 

o'clock.     At  8:00  this  morning  the  murderer  was  in  jail. 

44.  Lists.  —  In  lists  of  dead,  injured,  guests,  etc.,  where 
the  name  of  the  town  from  which  the  persons  come  or 
the  place  of  residence  is  given,  separate  the  different  names 
by  semicolons. 

Right.  —  Among  those  present  were:  Allen  Rogers  of  Los  Vegas, 
N.  M.;  Orren  Thomas  of  Benton,  Mo.;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Henry  Barnes  of  Sioux  City,  la. 

45.  Athletic  Results.  —  In  football,  baseball,  and  similar 
athletic  results,  use  a  semicolon  to  separate  the  names  of 
the  teams  and  their  scores:   as,  Cornell,  21;  Syracuse,  14. 

46.  Instead  of  Commas.  —  A  semicolon  may  be  used  in- 
stead of  a  comma  when  a  clause  or  sentence  is  so  broken  up 
by  commas  as  to  need  some  other  mark  of  punctuation  to 
keep  the  larger  phrase-  and  clause-relations  clear. 

5.  The  Comma 

47.  Parenthetic  Expressions. — Parenthetic  words,  phrases, 
and  clauses,  whether  used  at  the  beginning,  middle,  or  end 
of  a  sentence,  are  set  off  by  commas  when  they  cause  a 
marked  interruption  between  grammatically  connected  parts 


PUNCTUATION  261 

of  the  sentence.    If  in  doubt  about  the  need  of  a  comma, 
omit  it. 

Right.  —  He,  like  many  others,  believes  firmly  in  the  Tightness  of 
the  new  movement. 

48.  Words  in  Apposition.  —  A  word  in  apposition  with 
another  word  and  meaning  the  same  thing  should  be  set  off 
by  commas. 

Right.  —  Henry  Owen,  lineman  for  the  local  telegraph  company, 
was  the  only  witness  of  the  accident. 

49.  With  "namely,"  "that  is,"  etc.  — A  comma  is  placed 
before  and,  namely,  viz.,  that  is,  i.e.,  as,  to  wit,  etc.,  when  intro- 
ducing an  example,  an  illustration,  or  an  explanation. 

50.  Contrasted  Words  and  Phrases.  —  Set  off  contrasted 
words  and  phrases  with  commas. 

Right.  —  Hard  work,  not  genius,  was  what  enabled  him  to  succeed. 
Right.  —  The  faster  they  work,  the  better  they  are  paid. 

51.  Introductory    Words    and    Phrases.  —  Introductory 
words,  phrases,  and  clauses  at  the  beginning  of  a  sentence, 
when  they  modify  the  whole  sentence  and  serve  as  a  con- 
nective, are  set  off  by  commas. 

Right.  —  Yes,  he  had  even  tried  to  bribe  the  officer. 

Right.  —  On  the  other  hand,  the  prisoner  had  taken  her  for  a 
member  of  the  gang. 

52.  In  Direct  Address. — Words  used  in  direct  address 
are  set  off  by  commas. 

Right.  —  Mark  this,  gentlemen  of  the  jury,  in  his  list  of  forgeries. 

53.  Explanatory  Dates  and  Names.  —  A  date  explaining 
a  previous  date  or  a  geographical  name  explaining  a  previous 
name  is  set  off  by  commas. 

Right.  —  On  April  2,  1916,  she  was  arrested  at  Chicago,  111. 

54.  Phrases  Indicating  Residence,  Position,  or  Title.  - 

Omit  the  comma  before  of  in  phrases  indicating  residence, 
position,  or  title. 


262  STYLE-BOOK 

Right.  —  Among  the  out-of-town  guests  were  Miss  Helen  Hahn 
of  Gainesville,  Mrs.  Henry  Bushman  of  Athens,  and  Orren 
Cramer  of  Atlanta. 

Right.  —  D wight  O.  Conklin  of  the  Bessemer  Smelting  Company 
was  the  chief  speaker. 

55.  Academic  and  Honorary  Titles.  —  Academic  and  hon- 
orary titles  are  set  off  from  proper  names  and  from  each 
other  by  commas:  as,  President  O.  N.  Fowler,  Ph.D.,  LL.D. 

56.  Names  Followed  by  Initials.  —  Baptismal  names  or 
initials  following  a  surname  are  set  off  by  commas:    as, 
Arendale,  Charles  V. 

57.  Words,  Phrases,  and  Clauses  in  a  Series.  —  The  mem- 
bers of  a  series  of  two  or  more  words,  phrases,  or  clauses 
standing  in  the  same  relation  and  not  connected  by  con- 
junctions,   are    separated    by    commas.     When    the    series 
consists  of  three  or  more  members  and  a  conjunction  is  used 
to  connect  only  the  last  two,  the  comma  may  or  may  not 
be   put   before   the   conjunction.     Better   usage,    however, 
favors  the  inclusion  of  the  comma. 

Right.  —  The  teller  was  kicked,  beaten,  and  robbed  by  four 
masked  men. 

58.  After    Interjections.  —  Interjections    that    are    but 
slightly    exclamatory    are    followed    by    commas. 

The  following  distinctions  in  the  use  of  the  interjections  O  and  oh 
may  be  noted:  oh  generally  takes  a  comma  after  it,  O  never;  except 
at  the  beginning  of  a  sentence,  oh  is  written  with  a  small  letter,  O 
always  with  a  capital;  and  oh  is  used  always  by  itself,  while  O  properly 
comes  only  in  direct  address:  as,  O  Lord  of  life. 

Right.  —  Ah,  the  happy  days  and  the  happy  city! 
Right.  —  Oh,  but  the  way  the  boys  splashed! 

59.  Short   Quotations  and  Maxims.  —  Set  off  short  in- 
formal quotations  and  maxims  with  commas. 

Right.  —  He  was  last  heard  to  say,  "If  I  don't  return  in  time,  call 
up  the  office." 


PUNCTUATION  263 

60.  In  Large  Numbers.  —  Use  commas  to  separate  large 
numbers  into  groups  of  three  figures  each:    as,  $2,518,675. 
Omit  the  comma,  however,  in  dates  and  in  street,  telephone, 
and  automobile  numbers. 

61.  Athletic  Scores.  —  In  football,  baseball,  and  similar 
:ords,  place  a  comma  between  the  name  of  the  team  and 

its  score:  as,  New  Orleans,  7;  Memphis,  4. 

62.  Biblical  Passages.  —  Place  a  comma  between  chapter 
and  verse  in  citations  of  biblical  passages:   as,  John  2,  15. 

63.  Resolutions  for  Debate.  —  In  resolutions  for  debate, 
put  a  comma  after  Resolved. 

•     Right.  —  Resolved,   That   women  should  be    given   the   right   of 
suffrage. 

64.  General  Usage.  —  In  general,  use  a  comma  to  mark 
any  distinct  pause  not  indicated  by  other  marks  of  punctua- 
tion, and  to  make  clear  any  word,  phrase,  or  clause  that  may 
be  obscure  without  a  comma.     But  do  not  use  commas  ex- 
cept when  they  are  a  distinct  necessity.     Omit  them  except 
when  they  are  needful  for  emphasis  or  for  the  clearness  of 
the  sentence. 

6.   The  Dash 

65.  Sudden  Break  in  Thought.  — Use  a  dash  to  mark  a 
sudden  suspension  of  the  thought  or  a  violent  break  in  the 
construction  of  the  sentence. 

Right.  —  "  You  mean  to  say  —  Just  what  are  you  talking  about?'* 
he  questioned  awkwardly. 

66.  Date  Lines.  —  In  stories  written  under  a  date  line 
place  a  dash  between  the  date  or  the  Special  and  the  beginning 
of  the  story.     Thus: 

Sylvester,  Ga.,  Jan.  21.  —  Five  negroes  were 
taken  from  the  county  jail  and  lynched  at  an 
early  hour  this  morning. 

67.  After  "namely,"  "viz.,"   etc. —Place  a    dash   after 
namely,  as,  that  is,  viz.,  etc.,  when  introducing  an  example 
or  an  illustration. 


264  STYLE-BOOK 

Right.  —  The  mob  seemed  to  hold  him  responsible  for  two  things, 
namely  —  the  lost  key  and  the  barred  door. 

68.  Lists  of  Officers.  —  In  giving  lists  of  officers,  put  a 
dash  between  the  name  of  the  office  and  the  officer.     Thus: 

The  newly  elected  officers,  are:  President  — 
O.  N.  Homer;  Vice  President  —  Abner  King; 
Secretary  —  David  Thoeder;  Treasurer  — 
Mark  Bronson. 

69.  Dialogue,     Questions    and    Answers.  —  In    quoting 
questions  and  answers,  proceedings  of  public  bodies  or  trials, 
and  dialogue  generally,  put  a  dash  between  the  Q.  or  the  A., 
or  the  name  of  the  speaker,  and  the  statement  made.     And 
make  anew  paragraph  for  each  speaker.     Thus: 

Q.  —  Are  you  a 'resident  of  Montana? 
A .  —  I  have  been  for  four  years. 

70.  Slowness  of  Speech.  —  Put  a  dash  between  words  or 
phrases  to  indicate  slowness  or  hesitancy  in  speech.     Thus: 
"  These,  he  said,  were  his  —  er  —  wife's  slippers." 

7.  Parentheses 

71.  Political    Parties.  —  In    legislative    or    congressional 
reports  in  which  the   political  affiliation  of   a  member,  or 
the  state  or  county  from  which  he  comes,  is  given,  enclose 
the  party,  state,  or  county  name  in  parentheses:    as,  Mr. 
Smith  (Dem.,  S.  C.),  Mr.  Harris  (Jefferson). 

72.  General  Usage.  — Avoid  the  use  of  parentheses  within 
sentences.     Two   short  sentences  are  better  than  one  long 
one  containing  a  parenthetic  expression.     A  sentence  having 
a  clause  within  marks  of  parentheses  can  generally  be  cut 
into  two  sentences  and  for  newspaper  purposes  made  more 
effective. 

8.    Quotation-Marks 

73.  Direct    Quotations.  —  Quotation-marks  are    used    to 
set  off  direct  quotations  printed  in  the  same  type  and  style 
as  the  remainder  of  the  story.    A  quotation  coming  within 


PUNCTUATION 


265 


a  quotation  is  set  o3  by  single  quotation-marks;  and  a  third 
quotation  coming  within  single  quotation-marks  is  set  off 
by  double  marks  again.  Do  not  fail  to  put  " quotes"  at  the 
end  of  a  quotation.  This  very  common  error,  failure  to 
include  the  "end  quotes/'  is  a  source  of  great  annoyance  to 
printers  and  proof-readers. 

74.  Quoted   Paragraphs.  —  When   a   quotation   includes 
more  than  one  paragraph  set  in  the  same  type  and  style  as 
the  context,  put  quotation-marks  at  the  beginning  of  each 
paragraph,  but  omit  them  at  the  end  of  every  paragraph 
except  the  last.     In  this  way  the  quotation  is  shown  to  be 
continuous.     As  a  rule,  a  quotation  of  more  than  one  sen- 
tence is  written  in  a  separate  paragraph.     When  the  quo- 
tation is  to  be  set  in  smaller  type  than  the  body  of  the 
story,  all  quotation-marks  at  the  beginning  and  end  of  the 
paragraphs  are  omitted. 

75.  Quotations    and    Summaries.  —  When    reporting    a 
speech  or  interview  and  alternately  summarizing  and  quoting 
verbatim,  do  not  include  in  the  same  paragraph  a  direct 
quotation  and  a  condensed  summary  of  what  precedes  or 
follows.     Make  a  separate  paragraph  for  each.    Thus: 

"Shall  we  continue  to  listen  to  a  wandering 
voice  as  imbecile  as  our  condition?"  said  the 
speaker.  "When  this  voice  recently  was  re- 
moved from  the  counsels  of  our  government, 
we  thought,  good  easy  souls,  that  we  had  got 
rid  of  it  forever.  Has  Mr.  Bryan  proved  him- 
self so  good  a  prophet  in  the  past  that  we  can 
afford  to  trust  him  in  the  future?  Personally, 
I  have  never  believed  in  Mr.  Bryan's  wisdom, 
and  I  grant  him  sincerity  only  because  the  point 
is  not  worth  arguing." 

Mr.  Eastbrook  said,  amid  applause,  that  to 
say  the  nation  is  too  big  or  too  proud  to  fight  in 
self-defense  is  absurd.  To  say  that  a  mob  of  a 
million  or  so  of  untrained  citizenry  could  leap 
to  arms  and  put  to  flight  the  bullet-tested 
soldiery  of  Europe  is  worse  than  puerile  —  is 
murderous  stupidity,  he  declared.  .  .  . 


266  STYLE-BOOK 

76.  Books,    Plays,    etc.  —  Enclose    in    quotation-marks 
the  titles  of  books,  dramas,  songs,  poems,  stories,  magazine 
articles,  toasts,  and  lectures. 

77.  Newspapers,  Vessels,  etc.  —  Do  not  quote  the  names 
of  newspapers,  magazines,  paintings,  vessels,  cars,  or  animals. 

78.  Slang  and  Technical  Terms.  —  Enclose  in  quotation- 
marks  slang  and  technical  terms  that  are  supposedly  un- 
familiar to  the  reader. 

79.  Nicknames.  —  Do  not  quote  nicknames  of  persons 
or  of  characters  in  plays  or  novels:    as,   Ty  Cobb,   T.  R., 
Heinle  Zim,  Becky  Sharpj  etc. 

9.  The  Apostrophe 

80.  Possessive  Case.  —  Use  an  apostrophe  and  an  s  to 
indicate  the  possessive  case  singular,  no  matter  whether  the 
word  ends  in  one  or  two  s's:  as,  Burns' s  house,  Furness's  hat.1 
Use  the  apostrophe  and  5  to  indicate  the  possessive  case 
plural  when  the  plural  does  not  end  in  s:   as,  men's  meeting, 
children's  shoes.     Use  only  the  apostrophe  to  indicate  the 
possessive  case  plural  when  the  plural  ends  in  s:    as,  boys7 
hats,  ladies'  outfitter.     In  -  names  of  corporations,   cases  of 
joint  authorship,  etc.,  where  two  names  are  equally  in  the 
possessive  case,  put  the  apostrophe,  or  the  apostrophe  and 
s,  only  after    the   name  nearest  the  thing  possessed:    as, 
Farmers  and  Merchants'  bank,  Allen  and  Bowen's  u  Classical 
Mythology:'' 

81.  Possessive  Pronouns. — Do  not  use  the  apostrophe 
before  the  s  in  possessive  pronouns:   as,  its,  hers,  theirs. 

82.  Contractions.  —  Use    an    apostrophe    in    contracted 
words  to  indicate  the  omission  of  letters:   as,  couldn't,  he'll, 
you're. 

1  Occasional  exceptions  to  this  general  rule  are  found,  where  euphony  would 
be  violated  by  the  additional  s:  as,  Ulysses'  son,  Moses'  staff. 


PUNCTUATION 


267 


10.  The  Hyphen 

83.  Compound  Words.  —  Put  a  hyphen  between  the 
members  of  a  compound  word.  Words  compounded  with 
the  following  prefixes  and  suffixes  are  generally  hyphenated: 
able-,  brother- ,  by-,  cross-,  -elect,  ex-,  father-,  great-,  half-,  -hand, 
mother-,  open-,  public-,  quarter-,  -rate,  self-.  In  particular, 
hyphenate  the  following  words: 


able-bodied 

attorney-general 

balk-line 

base-hit 

base-line 

basket-ball 

brother-in-law 

bucket-shop 

by-law 

by-product 

court-martial 

cross-examine 

ex-president 

father-in-law 

full-back 

goal-line 


goal-post 

good-by 

great-grandfather 

half-back 

half-witted 

home-stretch 

judge-elect 

kick-off 

kick-out 

law-abiding 

life-saving 

line-up 

mail-box 

man-of-war 

mother-in-law 

office-seeker 


old-fashioned 

post-mortem 

post-office 

president-elect 

quarter-back 

quarter-stretch 

second-rate 

shop-girl 

short-stop 

side-lines 

so-called  (a.) 

son-in-law 

spit-ball 

to-day 

to-morrow 

to-night 


84.  Words  Written  Solid. — Words  compounded  of  the 
following  prefixes  and  suffixes  are  generally  written  solid: 
a-,  after-,  ante-,  anti-,auto-,  bi-,  demi-,  -ever,  grand-,  -holder,  in-, 
inter-,  intra-,  -less,  mid-,  mis-,  off-,  on-,  over-,  post-,  re-,  -some, 
sub-,  super-,  tri-,  un-,  under-,  up-,  -ward,  -wise,  -with.  The 
following  should  be  written  solid: 


anyone 

carload 

footlights 

anyway  (adv.) 

classmate 

footpad 

anywhere 

corespondent 

gateman 

awhile 

downstairs 

holdup 

baseball 

everyday  (a.) 

inasmuch 

billboard 

everyone 

infield 

bipartizan 

fireproof 

ironclad 

bondholder 

football 

juryman 

268  STYLE-BOOK 

landlady  Oddfellows  schoolgirl 

lawsuit  officeholder  semicolon 

letterhead  oneself  shopkeeper 

linesman  outfield  sidewalk 

midnight  pallbearer  skyscraper 

misprint  paymaster  snowstorm 

misspell  postcard  southeast 

nevertheless  posthaste  southwest 

newcomer  postmaster  taxpayer 

nonunion  rewrite  typewriter 

northeast  saloonkeeper  upstairs 

northwest  schoolboy 

85.  Words  Written  Separately.  —  Write  the  following  as 
two  words: 

all  right  half  dollar  police  court 

any  time  half  dozen  per  cent 

back  yard  half  nelson  pro  tern 

every  time  mass  meeting  some  one 

ex  ofiicio  no  one  some  way 

fellow  man  pay  roll  squeeze  play 

86.  Compound  Numbers.  —  Compound  numbers  between 
twenty  and  a  hundred,  when  spelled  out,  should  have  a  hy- 
phen:  as,  twenty-one,  forty-three. 

87.  Word  Division.  —  When  dividing  a  word  at  the  end 
of  a  line,  observe  the  following  rules: 

1.  Do  not  break  a  syllable:  as,  cre-ditable,  attemp-ted,  for 
cred-itable,  attempt-ed. 

2.  Do  not  divide  a  monosyllable:   as,  mob-bed,  tho-ugh. 

3.  Do  not  separate  a  consonant  from  a  vowel  that  affects 
its  pronunciation:  as,  nec-essity  for  ne-cessity. 

4.  Do  not  divide  a  diphthong  or  separate  two  successive 
vowels,  one  of  which  is  silent:  as,  bo-wing,  pe-ople,  for  bow- 
ing, peo-ple. 

5.  Do  not  separate  a  syllable  that  has  been  added  to  a 
word  by  the  addition  of  an  s:  &s,financ-es. 

6.  Do  not  divide  hyphenated  words  except  at  the  syllable 
where  the  regular  hyphen  comes:  as,  pocket-book,  fool-killer. 


PUNCTUATION  269 

7.  Do  not  make  awkward  divisions:  as,  noth-ing,  crack-le. 

8.  Do  not  begin  a  line  with  a  hyphen. 

9.  As  a  rule,  avoid  dividing  a  word  at  the  end  of  a  line 
and  never  divide  one  at  the  end  of  a  page. 

10.  Abbreviations 

88.  Abbreviations    Avoided.  —  Abbreviations    should    as 
a  rule  be  avoided.     The  coming  of  the  typewriter  into  journal- 
ism has  created  a  tendency  to  write  out  all  words  in  full. 

89.  Personal   and   Professional   Titles. — The   following 
personal  and  professional  titles  are  abbreviated  when  pre- 
ceding proper  names: 

Adjt.  Gen.  Hon.  Mme. 

Brig.  Gen.  Lieut.  Mr. 

Capt.  Lieut.  Col.  Mrs. 

Col.  Lieut.  Gen.  Prof. 

Dr.  M.  Rev. 

Gen.  Maj.  Rt.  Rev. 

Gov.  Maj.  Gen.  Sergt. 

Gov.  Gen.  Mile.  Supt. 

90.  Use  of  Titles.  —  Use  personal  titles  under  the  follow- 
ing restrictions: 

1.  Do  not  use  Mr.  before  a  man's  name  when  his  baptis- 
mal name  or  initials  are  given. 

Not  Good.  —  Mr.  A.  B.  Crayton  of  Belleville  was  a  guest  at  the 
Horton  house  to-day. 

Right.  —  A.  B.  Crayton  of  Belleville  was  a  guest  at  the  Horton 
house  to-day. 

2.  After  a  person's  name  has  been  mentioned  once  in  a 
story,  his  initials  or  Christian  names  are  omitted  thereafter, 
and  a  Mr.  or  his  professional  title  is  put  before  the  name. 


Right.  —  Prof.  O.  C.  Bowen  of  Atawa  was  a  speaker  at  the  local 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  to-day.  Prof.  Bowen  chose  as  his  subject. 
"The  Four  Pillars  of  State," 


270  STYLE-BOOK 

' 

3.  If  a  person  has  more  than  one  professional  title,  the. 
one  of  highest  rank  should  be  used.     If  he  has  two  titles  of 
apparently  equal  rank,  choose  the  one  last  received  or  the 
one  by  which  he  is  best  known  among  his  friends. 

4.  Mrs.  always  precedes  the  name  of  a  married  woman, 
Miss  that  of  an  unmarried  woman,  no  matter  whether  the 
initials  or  Christian  names  are  used  or  not. 

5.  In  giving  lists  of  unmarried  women,  precede  the  names 
with  Misses,  taking  care  always  to  give  the  full  Christian 
name  of  each  woman. 

6.  In  giving  lists  of  married  women,  Mesdames  may  in- 
troduce the  names,  though  present  usage  prefers  Mrs.  before 
each  name. 

7.  When  mentioning  a  man  and  his  wife,  put  it  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  William  Black,  not  William  Black  and  wife. 

8.  Do  not  use  Master  before  the  name  of  a  boy. 

9.  Before  a  Rev.  preceding  the  name  of  a  clergyman  always 
put  a  the:  as,  the  Rev.  T.  P.  Frost.     If  the  clergyman's  initials 
are  not  known,  write  it,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Frost,  not  the  Rev.  Frost. 

91.  Names  of  the  Months.  —  Abbreviations  of  the  months, 
except  March,  April,  May,  June,  and  July,  are  permissible 
when  followed  by  a  numeral  indicating  the  day  of  the  month, 
but  not  when  used  alone. 

Right.  —  Richard  Malone,  who  was  injured  in  an  automobile 
collision  Sept.  18,  died  at  the  county  hospital  to-day. 

Wrong.  —  The  time  of  the  meet  has  been  set  for  a  date  not  later 
than  the  middle  of  Sept. 

92.  Names  of  the  States.  —  Names  of  states,  territories, 
and  island  posessions  of  the  United  States  are  abbreviated 
when  preceded  by  the  name  of  a  town  or  city:   as,  Pueblo, 
Col.',  Manila,  P. I. 

93.  Miscellaneous    Abbreviations.  —  The    following    ab- 
breviations are  also  in  good  usage:    Esq.,  Inc.,  Jr.,  A.B., 
Ph.D.,  M.D.,  U.S.N.,  etc.,  when  used  after  proper  names; 
a.m.,  p.m.,  A.D.,  B.C.,  when  preceded  by  numerals. 


PUNCTUATION  271 

94.  Forbidden  Abbreviations.  -  -  The  following  abbrevia- 
tions may  not  be  used  on  most  newspapers: 

1.  Christian    names:    as,    Chas.    for  Charles,    Thos.    for 
Thomas. 

2.  Mount,  Fort,  and  Saint:   as,  Mt.  St.  Elias  for  Mount 
Saint  Elias,  Ft.  Wayne  for  Fort  Wayne. 

3.  Railroad,  Company,  Brothers,  etc.:    as,    New   Haven 
R.  R.  for   New   Haven  Railroad,   National  Biscuit  Co.  for 
National  Biscuit  Company. 

11.  Numbers 

95.  Dates.  —  Observe    the    following    rules    concerning 
dates: 

1.  Write  year  dates  always  in  figures:  as,  1776. 

2.  Write  month  dates  in  figures  when  preceded  by  the 
name  of  the  month:   as,  July  7,  1916.    When  the  name  of 
the  month  does  not  precede,  spell  out  the  date:    as,  Bills 
are  due  on  the  tenth. 

3.  Do  not  write  the  day  before  the  name  of  the  month: 
as,  the  2$th  of  December  for  Dec.  25. 

4.  Do  not  put  a  d,  nd,  st,  or  th  after  a  date:  as,  Sept.  jth 
for  Sept.  7. 

96.  Money.  —  When  mentioning    sums    of    money,   use 
figures  for  all  amounts  over  one  dollar;    spell  out  all  sums 
below  a  dollar:  as,  $5.75,  fifty  cents.    But  if  in  the  same  sen- 
tence it  becomes  necessary  to  mention  sums  above  and  below 
a  dollar,  use  figures  for  all. 

97.  Street  and  District  Names.  —  Spell  out  street,  ward, 
district,  and  precinct  names  designated  by  numbers:    as, 
Second  ward,  Tenth  precinct. 

98.  Sporting  Records.  — Use  figures  for  sporting  records: 
as,  10  feet,  5  inches;  Time,  .'4p|;  18-2  balk-line. 

99.  Beginning  of  Sentences.  —  Do  not  begin  a  sentence 
with  figures.    If  impossible  to  shift  the  number  to  a  later 


272  STYLE-BOOK 

place  in  the  sentence,  place  about  or  more  than  before  the 
figures:  as,  More  than  14,000  persons  passed  through  the  gates. 

100.  Dimensions.  —  Use   figures   with   an   x   to   express 
dimensions  of  lots,  buildings,  floors,  boats,  machinery,  etc.: 
as,  00x125  feet,  6o-foot  beam,  etc. 

101.  General    Usage.  —  Observe    the    following    general 
rules  concerning  numbers: 

i.  Use  figures  to  express  dates,  distances,  latitude  and 
longitude,  hours  of  the  day,  degrees  of  temperature,  percent- 
age, street  numbers,  telephone  numbers,  automobile  numbers, 
votes,  and  betting  odds.  In  other  cases  spell  out  all  numbers 
under  100,  except  where  several  numbers,  some  of  which  are 
above  and  some  under  100,  are  used  in  the  same  paragraph. 
In  such  a  case,  use  figures  for  all. 


MARKS    FOR    CORRECTING    COPY  273 


MARKS  USED  IN  CORRECTING  COPY 

amb  =  Ambiguous. 

and  =  A  bad  "and"  sentence.    Make  two  sen- 
tences or  subordinate  one  clause, 
ant  =  Antecedent  not  clear. 
Cl  =  Not  clear. 
Cst  =  Construction  faulty. 
Coh  =  Coherence  not  good. 
Con  =  Wrong  connective. 
Consult  =  Bring  copy  to  instructor  for  discussion. 

8  =  Delete. 

dull  =  Dull  reading;  put  more  life  into  the  story. 
E  =  Error. 

ed  =  Editorializing;  too  much  personal  opinion. 
FW  =  "Fine  writing." 
Gr  =  Bad  grammar. 
K  =  Awkward;  clumsily  expressed. 
Id  =  Poor  lead;   revise. 
P  =  Punctuation  wrong. 
pt  =  Point  of  view  shifted, 
qt  =  Make  this  a  direct  quotation, 
rep  =  Same  word  repeated  too  much, 
rew  =  Rewrite, 
sent  =  Use  shorter  sentences. 
SI  =  Slang. 
Sp  =  Bad  spelling. 
SU  =  Sentence  lacks  unity. 

T  =  Wrong  tense. 

unnec  -  Unnecessary  details;   omit  some  of  them, 
tr  =  Transpose. 
W  =  Wrong  use  of  word. 
?  =  Truth  of  statement  questioned. 
1f  =  Begin  a  new  paragraph. 


274  STYLE-BOOK 

No  If  =  No  1f  needed. 
J  =  Indent. 
O  =  Put  the  words  together  as  one. 

#  =  Separate  into  two  words. 

*  =  Hyphen  needed. 


MARKS    FOR   CORRECTING    COPY  275 


CORRECTIONS 

|Two  men  were  killed  t<£ay  when  a  trolley  car^bf  the  Union  Railway 
Company,  run  by  and  in  tho  eJua'&e  »f  a  new  raotorraan,  jumped  the 
track  on  the  curve  at  Boston  Road  and  Tremont  Avenue,  The  Bronx, 
and  struck^automobile/^itney11'  busses.       The^are! 


Duelfer,  George,  (fort^ysime  eld,  a  laborer,. 
H^iugi  ftt^llS  Barclay  avenue,  the  Bronx  ^ 

/ghpniaa\  Lorrien,  1234  Taylor  Avenue,  The  Bronx. 
^L'L-^-^  LVL^^>-'^> 


[witnesses  of  the  aocide^  said  the  trolley  car,  *»B  lii  the  charge 
of  Richard  Isaacs,  210  East  109th (£t) C***  tiliafc -^  came  dowrfthe 


ru>0*vWtr  AAsrpp^ff-^ 
hilt  on  the  Boston  Road  at  a  rapid  rate  andjtfrrt  i*  iifai't  ubu^'ui) 

Ml  as  li  turned  into  Tremont  Avenue.       On  fi$e  opposite  side  of 
Treocjt  Avenue  stood  the  ©automobiles.      fte  first  machineTwM) 

by  Julius  Grossman,  who  lives  at  1526  St.  Lawrence  AveQiue, 


the  Bronx,  nprt  ta  t»  were  three  passengers  who  were  about  to  alight 
for  HIP  puipueq  uf  laMug  the  subway. 


ii 


276  STYLE-BOOK 


'uiJEtJ 
i 


CORRECTED  PROOF 

^=        \\ithout    attendantsfind    in    the    presence    of    less.    A^V 

^3     than  thirty  relatives  and  members  of  their  their  house-     t^ 
y(      holds,  AVood row  \\jlson^twent)^eighth  President  of  the     i]  •/ 

P  United  States,  married  Mrs.  Edith  Boiling  Gault.  of      '      (*FC 
•nj     [Vi  ashingto/ ,  to-night.     The  ceremony  was  performed  at 
i    half  past£lS£]/(^£lock  in  the  unpretentious,  but  cozy  home 
i  f  /  of  Mrs.  Gault  £Io.  1,308  Twentieth  Street,  North wes?> 
£)  *^Mr.  and  Mrs.  VVjlson  lejt  Washington  after  the  wedding 
^ for  Hot*  Springs,  Virginia,  where  they  will^spend  thejr 
honeymoon  at  the  Homestead  Hotel.) 
CI  nelrhoneymoon  in  Virginia  is  regarded  as  espec- 
^  fitting,  since  both  the  bride  and  the  bjmgroom  are  na- 
tives of  that  state. 

f      The    Rev.    Dr.    Herbert    Scott    Smith,    rector 


of  St.  Margaret'sFprotestantl  episcopal  church,  of  which 
Mrs^Wilson  is  a  member,  performed  the  ceremony,  using  ^  ^ 

the  Episcopal  ceremony^  which  includes  fehc  word  ^obey^    sfet   v 


PROOF-READERS'    MARKS  277 


PROOF-READERS'  MARKS 

Cap  Capitalize. 

Ic  Lower  case;  small  letter. 

8  Delete;  omit. 

stet  Restore  the  words  crossed  out. 

A  Insert  at  the  place  indicated. 

O  Insert  a  period. 

A  Insert  a  comma. 

V  Insert  quotation-marks. 

*l  Insert  a  hyphen. 

X  Imperfect  letter. 

9  Letter  inverted;  turn  over. 
If  Make  a  new  paragraph. 

No  If  No  paragraph. 

#  Put  a  space  between. 

^-s  Smaller  space. 

O  Close  up;  no  space  needed. 

V  ^  Badly  spaced;  space  more  evenly. 

^^  Quad  shows  between  the  words;  shove  down, 

wf  Wrong  font, 

tr  Transpose. 

[~~  Carry  to  the  left. 
Lower. 
Elevate. 

^  Straighten  crooked  line, 

lead  Add  lead  between  the  lines. 

8  lead  Take  out  lead. 

(?)  Query:  Is  the  proof  correct? 


TERMINOLOGY 

Ad  Alley.  —  The  part  of  the  composing  room  where  the  advertise- 
ments are  set. 
Add.  —  Late  news  added  to  a  story  already  written  or  printed. 

A.  P.  —  Abbreviation  for  Associated  Press. 

Arrest  Sheets.  —  The  police  record  on  which  all  arrests  are  entered. 

Assignment.  —  A  story  that  a  reporter  has  been  detailed  to  cover; 
any  duty  assigned  by  the  city  editor. 

Assignment  Slips'.  —  Slips  of  paper  containing  assignments  the  city 
editor  wishes  a  reporter  to  cover.  These  slips  are  made  out 
daily  and  laid  on  the  reporter's  desk  at  the  beginning  of  his  day's 
work. 

Bank.  —  (i)  One  of  the  whole  divisions  of  the  headlines,  separated 
from  the  next  by  a  blank  line;  called  also  a  deck.  (2)  A  table 
or  frame  for  holding  type-filled  galleys. 

Bank-man.  —  A  helper  in  the  composing  room  whose  duty  it  is  to 
assemble  type  received  from  the  different  linotype  machines, 
close  up  the  galleys  on  the  bank,  and  see  that  they  are  proved. 

Beat.  —  (i)  A  definite  place  or  section  of  town,  —  as  the  city  hall,, 
the  capitol,  the  police  court,  fire  stations,  hotels,  etc.,  —  regu- 
larly visited  by  a  reporter  to  obtain  news;  also  termed  a  run. 
(2)  See  scoop. 

B.  F.  —  Abbreviation  for  bold-face,  black-face  type. 

Blind  Interview.  —  An  interview  given  by  a  man  of  authority  on 

condition  that  his  name  be  withheld. 
Blotter.  —  The  police  record-book  of  crime. 
Box.  —  A  rectangular  space  marked  off  in  a  story,  usually  at  the 

beginning,  for  calling  attention  to  the  news  within  the  box.    The 

news  is  often  a  list  of  dead  or  injured  or  of  athletic  records, 

printed  in  bold-face  type. 
Break-line.  —  A  line  not  filled  to  the  end  with  letters,  as  the  last 

line  of  a  paragraph.     In  a  head  a  break-line  may  contain  white 

space  on  each  side. 
Bridge.  —  The  raised  platform  in  front  of  the  magistrate's  desk  in 

police  court. 


TERMINOLOGY  279 

Bull.  —  A  statement  or  a  series  of  statements,  the  terms  of  which 
are  manifestly  inconsistent  or  contradictory. 

Bulldog  Edition.  —  The  earliest  regular  edition. 

Bulletin.  —  A  brief  telegraphic  message  giving  the  barest  results  of 
an  event,  often  an  accident,  unaccompanied  by  details. 

Catch-line.  —  (i)  A  short  line  set  in  display  type  within  the  body 
of  a  story  to  catch  the  eye  of  the  reader  and  enable  him  to  get 
the  striking  details  by  a  hasty  glance  down  the  column.  (2)  A 
line  at  the  top  of  each  page  of  copy  sent  to  the  composing  room 
one  page  at  a  time:  as,  "Society,"  "State,"  "Suicide."  Such 
lines  enable  the  bank-men  to  assemble  readily  all  the  stories  and 
parts  of  stories  belonging  together. 

Chase.  —  A  rectangular  iron  or  steel  frame  into  which  the  forms  are 
locked  for  printing  or  stereotyping. 

Condensed  Type.  —  Type  thin  in  comparison  to  its  height;  con- 
trasted with  extended  type. 

Copy.  —  Any  manuscript  prepared  for  the  press.  Blind  Copy  is 
copy  that  is  difficult  to  read.  Clean  Copy  is  manuscript  re- 
quiring little  or  no  editing.  Time  Copy  is  any  matter  for  which 
there  is  no  rush,  —  usually  held  to  be  set  up  by  the  compositors 
when  they  would  otherwise  be  idle,  or  to  be  used  in  case  of  a 
scarcity  of  news.  The  Sunday  paper  is  filled  with  time  copy. 

Copy  Cutter.  —  An  assistant  in  the  composing  room  who  receives 
copy  from  the  head  copy  reader,  or  editor,  cuts  it  into  takes, 
and  distributes  the  takes  to  the  compositors  to  set  up. 

Copyholder.  —  A  proof-reader's  assistant  who,  to  correct  errors, 
reads  copy  for  comparison  of  it  with  the  proof. 

Copy-reader.  —  One  who  revises  copy  and  writes  the  headlines. 
Not  to  be  confused  with  proof-reader. 

Cover.  —  To  go  for  the  purpose  of  getting  facts  about  an  event  or 
for  the  purpose  of  writing  up  the  event:  as,  "Jones  covered  the 
prize  fight." 

Dead.  —  A  term  applied  to  composed  type  that  is  of  no  further  use; 
also  sometimes  applied  to  copy. 

Deck. —  See  Bank  (i). 

Department  Men.  —  Reporters  who  seek  news  regularly  in  the  same 
places,  as  the  police  courts,  city  hall,  coroner's  office. 

Display  Type.  —  Type  bolder  of  face  or  more  conspicuous  than  or- 
dinary type. 

Dope.  —  Slang  for  any  information  or  collection  of  facts  to  be  used 
in  a  story;  applied  specifically  to  sporting  stories,  meaning  a 
forecast  of  the  outcome,  as  in  a  horse-race  or  a  boxing  contest. 


280  TERMINOLOGY 

Em.  —  The  square  of  the  body  of  any  size  of  type;  used  as  the  unit 
of  measurement  for  making  indentions,  indicating  the  length  of 
dashes,  etc. 

End  Mark.  —  A  mark  put  at  the  end  of  a  story  to  indicate  to  the 
compositor  that  the  story  is  complete.  The  two  end  marks 
used  are  the  figure  30  enclosed  in  a  circle  and  a  #. 

Feature.  —  To  give  prominence  to;  to  display  prominently. 

Feature  Story.  —  A  story,  often  with  a  whimsical  turn,  in  which  the 
interest  lies  in  something  else  than  the  immediate  news  value; 
one  that  develops  some  interesting  feature  of  the  day's  news 
for  its  own  sake  rather  than  for  the  worth  of  the  story  as  a 
whole.  Also  called  "  human  interest "  story.  See  page  224. 

Filler.  —  A  story  of  doubtful  news  value  included  for  lack  of  better 
news  in  a  column  or  section  of  a  paper.  The  so-called  "patent  in- 
sides"  in  country  weeklies  and  small  dailies  are  known  as  fillers. 

Flash.  —  A  brief  telegraphic  message  sandwiched  between  two  sen- 
tences of  a  running  story,  giving  the  outcome  before  it  is  reached 
in  the  story:  as,  "Flash  —  Smith  knocked  out  in  fourteenth 
round,"  when  the  reporter's  story  has  got  only  as  far  as  the 
eleventh  round;  or,  "Flash  —  Jury  coming  in;  get  ready  for 
verdict,"  thrust  into  the  body  of  a  story  a  reporter  is  sending 
about  a  murder  trial. 

Flimsy.  —  Thin  tissue  paper  used  in  duplicating  telegraphic  stories 
as  they  come  off  the  wire. 

Flush.  —  On  an  even  line  or  margin  with. 

Follow  Copy.  —  An  instruction,  written  on  the  margin  of  manu- 
script, to  the  compositor  that  he  must  follow  copy  exactly,  even 
though  the  matter  may  seem  wrong. 

Folo.  —  An  abbreviation  for  follow,  marked  at  the  beginning  of 
stories  to  indicate  that  they  are  to  follow  others  of  a  similar 
nature:  as,  "Folo  Suicide,"  meaning  to  the  bank- man,  "Put 
this  story  in  the  form  immediately  after  the  one  slugged  l  Sui- 
cide.' "  See  page  15. 

Form.  —  An  assemblage  of  type,  usually  seven  or  eight  columns, 
locked  in  a  chase  preparatory  to  printing  or  stereotyping. 

Fudge.  —  A  small  printing  cylinder  and  chase  that  can  be  attached 
to  a  rotary  press;  used  for  printing  late  news.  See  page  18. 

Future  Book.  —  The  book  in  which  the  city  editor  records  future 
events:  as,  speeches,  conventions,  lawsuits,  etc. 

Galley.  —  A  long,  shallow,  metal  tray  for  holding  composed  type. 
From  the  type  in  this  tray  the  first  or  galley  proof  is  pulled  for 
corrections. 


TERMINOLOGY  281 

Galley  Proof.  —  An  impression  made  from  type  in  a  galley. 

Gothic.  —  A  heavy,  black-faced  type,  all  the  strokes  of  which  are  of 
uniform  width. 

Guide  Line.  —  See  Catch  Line  (2). 

Hanging  Indention.  —  Equal  indention  of  all  the  lines  of  a  para- 
graph except  the  first,  which  extends  one  em  farther  to  the  left 
than  those  succeeding. 

Head.  —  Abbreviation  for  headline. 

Drop-Line  SECOND  YEAR  OF 

Head  THE  GREAT  WAR 

OPENS  TODAY 

Pyramid  Clash  between  Germany 

Head  and  Russia  Occurred 

August  1,   1914 


Cross-Line  END   NOT  IN  SIGHT 


First    Anniversary     Finds 

Hanging  Little   Change    in    Rela- 

Indention  ilve  Strength  of  the  Two 

Opposing  Forces. 

Hell-box.  —  The  box  into  which  waste  lead  is  thrown  for  remelting 

in  the  stereotyping  room. 
Hold.  —  An  instruction  written  at  the  beginning  of  copy  or  proof, 

instructing  the  make-up  man  in  the  printing  room  to  hold  the 

article,  not  print  it,  until  he  has  received  further  orders. 
Human  Interest  Story.  —  See  Feature  Story. 
I.  N.  S.  —  Abbreviation  for  International  News  Service. 
Insert.  —  One   or  more    sentences  or  paragraphs  inserted  in  the 

body  of  a  story  already  written,  giving  fuller  or  more  accurate 

information. 
Jump-head.  —  A  headline  put  above  the  continuation  of  a  story 

begun  on  a  preceding  page. 
Justifier.  —  A  short  story  of  little  or  no  news  value  inserted  at  the 

foot  of  a  column  to  fill  it  out  evenly. 
Justify.  —  To  make  even  or  true  by  proper  spacing,  as  lines  of  type 

or  columns  on  a  page. 
Kill.  —  To  destroy  the  whole  or  a  part  of  a  story,  usually  after  it 

has  been  set  in  type. 
Lead.  —  The  initial  sentence  or  paragraph  of  a  story,  into  whicli  is 

crammed  the  gist  of  the  article.     See  page  68. 


282  TERMINOLOGY 

Lead.  —  Thin  strips  of  metal  placed  between  lines  of  type  to  make 
the  lines  stand  farther  apart,  and  hence  to  make  the  story  stand 
out  more  prominently  on  the  printed  page. 

Lower  Case.  —  (i)  A  shallow  wooden  receptacle  divided  into  com- 
partments called  boxes,  for  keeping  separate  the  small  letters  of 
a  font  of  type;  distinguished  from  the  upper  case  which  stands 
slantingly  above  the  lower  case  and  contains  the  capital  letters; 
hence  (2)  the  letters  in  that  case. 

Make-up.  —  The  arrangement  of  type  into  columns  and  pages  pre- 
paratory to  printing. 

Make-up  Man.  —  The  workman  who  arranges  composed  type  in 
forms  preparatory  to  printing. 

Morgue.  —  The  filing  cabinet  or  room  in  which  are  kept  stories  and 
obituaries  of  prominent  persons,  photographs  of  them,  their 
families,  and  ^their  homes,  clippings  of  various  kinds  about  dis- 
asters, religious  associations,  big  conventions,  strikes,  wars,  etc. 
See  page  9. 

Must.  —  A.direction  put  on  the  margin  of  copy  to  indicate  that  the 
story  must  be  printed. 

Pi.  —  Type  that  has  been  so  jumbled  or  disarranged  that  it  cannot 
be  used  until  reassembled. 

Pi  Line.  —  A  freak  line  set  up  by  a  compositor  when  he  has  made  an 
error  in  the  line  and  completed  it  by  striking  the  keys  at  random 
until  he  has  filled  out  the  measure  and  cast  the  slug:  ETAOINS 

Play  Up.  —  To  emphasize  by  writing  about  with  unusual  fullness. 

Police  Blotter.  —  See  Blotter. 

Pony  Report.  —  A  condensed  report  of  the  day's  news,  sent  out  by 
news  bureaus  to  papers  that  are  not  able  or  do  not  care  to  sub- 
scribe for  the  full  service. 

Proof-reader.  —  One  whose  time  is  given  to  reading  and  making 
corrections  in  the  printer's  proof;  not  to  be  confused  with  Copy- 
reader. 

Prove.  —  To  take  a  proof  of  or  from. 

Pull.  —  To  make  an  impression  on  a  hand-press :  as,  to  pull  a  proof. 

Pyramid  Head.  —  A  heading  of  three,  four,  or  five  lines,  —  usually 
of  three,  —  the  first  of  which  is  full,  the  second  indented  at  both 
sides,  the  third  still  more  indented  at  both  sides,  all  the  lines 
being  centered.  See  Head. 

Query.  —  A  telegraphic  request  to  a  paper  for  instructions  on  a  story 
that  a  correspondent  wishes  to  send.  See  page  240. 

Quoins.  —  Wedges  used  for  fastening  or  locking  type  in  a  galley  or  a 
form. 


TERMINOLOGY  283 

Release.  —  To  permit  publication  of  a  story  on  or  after  a  specified 
date,  but  not  before.  See  page  54. 

Revise.  —  A  corrected  proof. 

Rewrite.  —  A  story  rewritten  from  another  paper.     See  page  218. 

Rewrite  Man.  —  A  reporter  who  rewrites  telegraphic,  cable,  and  tele- 
phone stories,  or  who  rewrites  poor  copy  submitted  by  other 
reporters.  See  page  219. 

Run.  —  See  Beat  (i). 

Run-in.  —  To  omit  paragraph  indentions  for  the  sake  of  saving  space. 

Running  Story.  —  A  story  which  develops  as  the  day  advances,  or 
from  day  to  day. 

Scoop.  —  Publication  of  an  important  story  in  advance  of  rival 
papers;  also  called  a  beat. 

Sheets.  —  See  Arrest  Sheets. 

Slips.  —  Slips  of  paper  hung  on  the  police  bulletin  board  or  pasted 
in  a  public  ledger,  announcing  such  crimes,  misdemeanors,  com- 
plaints, and  the  like  as  the  police  are  willing  to  make  public. 
See  page  35. 

Slug.  —  (i)  A  solid  line  of  type  set  by  a  linotype  machine.  *  (2)  A 
strip  of  type  metal  thicker  than  a  lead  and  less  than  type  high, 
for  widening  spaces  between  lines,  supporting  the  foot  of  a  col- 
umn, etc.  (3)  A  strip  of  metal  bearing  a  type-high  number  in- 
serted by  a  compositor  at  the  beginning  of  a  take  to  mark  the 
type  set  by  him.  (4)  The  compositor  who  set  the  type  marked 
by  a  slug.  See  also  Catch  Line  (2). 

Solid.  —  Having  no  leads  between  the  lines:  as,  a  solid  column  of 
type. 

Space  Book.  —  A  book  in  which  the  state  editor  keeps  a  record  of 
stories  sent  in  by  correspondents  and  space  writers. 

Space  Writer.  —  A  writer  who  is  paid  for  his  stories  according  to  the 
amount  of  space  they  occupy  when  printed. 

Special.  —  A  story  written  by  a  special  correspondent,  usually  one 
out  of  town. 

Stick. —  (i)  A  small  metal  tray  holding  approximately  two  inches 
of  type,  used  by  printers  in  setting  type  by  hand.  (2)  The 
amount  of  type  held  by  a  stick. 

Stone.  —  A  smooth  table  top,  once  of  stone,  now  usually  of  metal,  on 
which  the  page  forms  are  made  up. 

Story. —  (i)  Any  article,  other  than  an  editorial  or  an  advertisement, 
written  for  a  newspaper.  (2)  The  event  about  which  the  story 
is  written:  as,  a  burglar  story,  meaning  the  burglary  that  the 
reporter  writes  up. 


284  TERMINOLOGY 

Streamer  Head.  —  A  head  set  in  large  type  and  extending  across  the 
top  of  the  page. 

String.  —  A  strip  of  clipped  stories  pasted  together  end  to  end  to  in- 
dicate the  number  of  columns  contributed  by  a  space  writer. 

Style  Book.  —  The  printed  book  of  rules  followed  by  reporters,  copy- 
readers,  and  compositors.  See  page  249. 

Take.  —  The  portion  of  copy  taken  at  once  by  a  compositor  for 
setting  up.  See  page  13. 

30.  —  A  telegrapher's  signal  indicating  the  end  of  the  message;  also 
put  at  the  end  of  a  story  to  indicate  its  completion. 

Tip.  —  Secret  information  about  an  item  of  news  valuable  to  a  paper. 

Turn  Rule.  —  A  copy-reader's  signal  to  the  composing  room  to  turn 
the  black  face  of  the  rule,  indicating  thereby  that  the  story  is 
not  yet  complete  and  that  more  will  be  inserted  at  that  place. 

U.  P.  —  Abbreviation  for  United  Press  Associations. 

W.  f .  —  Abbreviation  for  wrong  font;  a  proof-reader's  mark  of  correc- 
tion, indicating  that  a  letter  from  another  font  has  slipped  into 
a  word:  as,  the  u  in  because. 


EXERCISES 

CHAPTER    V 

Most  of  the  following  stories  held  front-page  positions  on 
leading   metropolitan   dailies.     Explain   their  story  values: 

1.  Philadelphia,  Oct.  31.  —  With  a  record  of  314  eggs  in  365  days, 
Lady  Eglantine,  a  white  Leghorn  pullet,  became  to-day  the  cham- 
pion egg  layer  of  the  world.     The  little  hen,  which  weighs  three  and 
a  half  pounds,  completed  her  year  of  an  egg-laying  competition  at 
Delaware  College,  Newark,  Del.,  and  beat  the  previous  record  of 
286  eggs  by  28.     The  pen  of  five  hens  of  which  she  was  a  member  also 
broke  the  American  pen  record  with  1,211  eggs.     The  average  barn- 
yard fowl  produces  only  70  eggs  in  a  year. 

2.  Topeka,  Kan.,  Feb.  2.  —  While  President  Wilson  was  speak- 
ing here  to-day  a  pair  of  new  fur-lined  gloves  were  taken  from  the 
pocket  of  his  overcoat,  which  he  had  hung  in  an  ante-room.     It  is 
supposed  that  somebody  wanted  a  souvenir  of  his  visit  to  Kansas. 
Mr.  Wilson  missed  the  gloves  when  he  started  for  his  train. 

3.  Richmond,  Va.,  Feb.  20.  —  Capt.  W.  M.  Myers,  delegate  for 
Richmond  in  the  general  assembly,  has  introduced  an  amendment 
to  the  anti-nuisance,  or  "red  light,"  measure,  making  it  unlawful  for 
any  woman  to  wear  a  skirt  the  length  of  which  is  more  than  four 
inches  from  the  ground,  a  bodice  or  shirt  waist  showing  more  than 
three  inches  of  neck,  or  clothes  of  transparent  texture.     Delegate 
Myers  said  he  wished  to  protect  men. 

4.  Two  Rivers,  Wis.,  Feb.  19.  —  When  the  Bushey  Business  Col- 
lege basket-ball  team  scored  the  winning  point  in  the  last  minute  of 
play  during  their  game  with  the  Two  Rivers  team  here  last  night, 
Anton  Kopetsky  was  stricken  with  heart  failure.   He  was  taken  to  the 
basement  of  the  building,  where  physicians  started  to  work  over  him. 
In  the  meantime  a  dance  was  started  in  the  hall  where  the  game  had 
been  played.     An  hour  later,  with  the  dance  on  in  full  swing,  Kop- 
etsky died.     The  dance  was  stopped  and  the  musicians  sent  home. 

5.  Centralia,  Pa.,  Sept.  30.  —  Forty  men  are  working  night  and 
day  to  rescue  Thomas  Tosheski,  who  has  been  entombed  96  hours  in 


286  NEWS  WRITING 

the  Continental  mine  here.  Food  was  given  Tosheski  in  his  prison 
to-day  by  means  of  a  two-inch  gas-pipe,  forced  through  a  hole  made 
by  a  diamond  drill. 

6.  On  the  north  corner  of  Darling  Street  and  Temple  Alley  a  little 
old  woman,  white-haired  and  shrunken  in  frame,  has  guarded  all 
day  long  a  bag  of  clothes  and  a  feather  bed,  her  only  possessions. 
She  was  thrown  out  of  her  room  at  19!  Temple  Alley  this  morning 
and  she  has  nowhere  to  go. 

7.  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  Feb.  20.  —  Henry  Blake  of  this  city  has  been 
arrested  by  State  Policeman  Curtis  A.  Davies  on  charges  of  burglary. 
He  confessed  to  a  string  of  thefts  covering  months  in  the  fashionable 
suburban  districts  of  the  state  capital.     In  Blake's  pocket  was  found 
a  much  used  Bible.     Circled  with  red  ink  was  the  quotation:  "Seek 
and  ye  shall  find." 

8.  New  York,  Feb.  19.  —The  sale  of  Peter  the  Great,  2:07!,  by 
W.  E.  D.  Stokes  oi>  this  city  to  Stoughton  J.  Fletcher,  an  Indianapolis 
banker,  sets  a  new  record  for  old  horses.     Not  in  any  country,  at 
any  period,  it  is  believed,  has  a  horse  of  any  breed  brought  so  high 
a  price  at  so  great  an  age.     Peter  the   Great  is  21   years  old  and 
Stokes  received  $50,000  for  him. 

9.  Boston,  August  31.  — Another  world  eating  record  is  claimed 
by  Charles  W.  Glidden,  of  Lawrence,  who  sat  down  at  a  local  restau- 
rant yesterday  and  devoured  fifty-eight  ears  of  corn  in  an  hour  and 
fifty-five  minutes.     The  previous  record  is  claimed  by  Ose  Dugan, 
of  New  York,  who  ate  fifty-one  ears.     Mr.  Glidden  is  ready  to  meet 
all  comers.     He  keeps  in  condition  by  eating  sparingly  of  prunes, 
ice  cream,  and  oranges. 

10.  Grand  Rapids,  Wis.,  Feb.  21.  —  Two  miles  north  of  the  city 
a  large  grey  fox  fought  for  its  life  this  morning,  and  lost.     Conrad 
Wittman  shot  and  wounded  him  a  mile  south  of  Hunter's  Point.    The 
fox  was  trailed  by  the  dogs  past  Regele's  creamery,  when  the  trail 
came  abruptly  to  an  end.     A  search  was  begun,  and  a  short  time 
afterward  the  fox  was  found  in  a  tree,  dead.     He  had  leaped  to 
the  lower  branches  as  the  dogs  were  overtaking  him,  and  died  from 
the  gun-shot  wound  after  reaching  safety. 

11.  New  York,  Feb.  28.  —  After  all  negotiations,  counter  nego- 
tiations, champagne  suppers,  and  "rushing,"  it  seems  that  Charlie 
Chaplin  with  his  justly  celebrated  walk  and  his  frequently  featured 
kick  will  hereafter  be  exclusively  shown  on  Mutual  films.     Such 
announcement   was   made   quietly  but   definitely   yesterday.     The 
contracts,  it  is  asserted,  were  signed  Saturday.     They  provide  for 
a  bonus  of  $100,000  to  Chaplin,  with  or  without  his  mustache; 


EXERCISES  287 

$10,000  a  week  salary,  and  a  percentage  in  the  business.  The 
money  is  to  be  paid  to-morrow.  Chaplin  is  to  have  a  special  com- 
pany organized  for  him  by  the  Mutual,  and  his  brother,  Syd  Chaplin, 
also  an  agile  figure  in  motion  pictures,  is  to  be  a  member  o!  it.  What 
price  was  paid  for  the  brother  is  not  stated.  The  Mutual  Company 
already  has  applied  for  an  insurance  of  $250,000  on  the  new  star. 

12.  Greencastle,    Ind.,    Feb.    22. —  Fifty   De    Pauw    University 
students  have  been  suspended  for  the  present  week  because  they 
violated  the  college  rule  against  dancing.     The    students  attended 
a  ball  given  three  weeks  ago  during  the  midyear  recess. 

13.  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  Oct.  16.  —  Until  the  other  day  a  horse  be- 
longing to  Elias  Chute,  80  years  old,  of  No.  2404  Faraon  Street,  had 
not  been  outside  of  a  little  barn  in  the  rear  of  1626  Frederick  Avenue 
for  more  than  a  year.     Through  most  of  one  winter,  spring,  summer, 
fall,  and  part  of  another  winter  the  faithful  old  animal  had  stood 
tied  in  his  stall.     His  hoofs  had  grown  over  his  shoes  and  everything 
about  him  showed  he  had  been  neglected  in  everything  but  food  and 
water. 

CHAPTER   VIII 

A.  Explain  the  faults  in  the  organization  of  the  following 
stories: 

WILSON  SPEAKS  TO  DAUGHTERS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 

Washington,  Oct.  n.  — The  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion applauded  what  they  regarded  as  a  gallant  compliment  to  his 
fiancee  uttered  by  President  Wilson  in  his  speech  on  national  unity 
at  Continental  Hall  this  afternoon. 

In  that  part  of  his  speech  in  which  he  served  notice  that  he  pur- 
poses to  administer  the  discipline  of  public  disapproval  to  hyphenated 
Americans,  the  President  remarked: 

"I  know  of  no  body  of  persons  comparable  to  a  body  of  ladies  for 
creating  an  atmosphere  of  opinion." 

Immediately  afterward  he  said  smilingly: 

"I  have  myself  in  part  yielded  to  the  influence  of  that  atmosphere." 

The  official  White  House  stenographer  inserted  a  comma  in  his 
transcript  of  the  President's  speech  at  the  foregoing  utterance,  but 
the  members  of  the  D.  A.  R.  thought  the  President  had  come  to  a 
chivalrous  period.  They  looked  over  the  President's  shoulders  to 
one  of  the  boxes  where  sat  his  fiancee,  Mrs.  Norman  Gait,  with  her 
mother,  Mrs.  Boiling,  and  they  applauded  tumultuously. 


288  NEWS  WRITING 

Several  seconds  elapsed  before  the  President,  whose  face  had 
flushed,  could  wedge  in: 

"for  it  took  me  a  long  time  to  observe  how  I  was  going  to  vote  in 
New  Jersey." 

The  President's  hearers  just  would  not  believe  that  he  had  had 
the  suffrage  issue  in  mind  when  he  began  his  sentence,  and  Mrs. 
Gait  herself  blushed  in  recognition  of  the  applause. 

Mrs.  Gait,  with  her  mother  and  Miss  Helen  Woodrow  Bones,  had 
been  taken  to  Continental  Hall  in  one  of  the  White  House  automo- 
biles. The  President  walked  over,  accompanied  by  his  military 
aid,  Col.  Harte,  and  the  secret-service  men.  Before  he  left  the 
White  House  he  had  stood  for  several  minutes  leaning  over  the  side 
of  the  automobile  having  a  tete-a-tete  with  Mrs.  Gait. 

Curious  persons  passing  through  the  White  House  grounds  thought 
it  a  very  interesting  sight  to  observe  the  President  of  the  United 
States  standing  with  one  foot  on  the  step  of  an  automobile  talking 
with  a  member  of  the  fair  sex.  They  got  the  impression  from  the 
animated  character  of  the  conversation  that  Mrs.  Gait  was  dis- 
appointed because  the  President  was  not  going  to  accompany  her 
to  Continental  Hall,  and  that  she  was  trying  to  persuade  him  to 
abandon  his  plan  of  walking  over. 

Society  people  are  as  much  interested  as  ever  in  the  plans  of  the 
couple,  but  little  has  been  learned  definitely  as  yet.  No  disclosure 
was  made  to-day  of  the  date  of  the  wedding,  and  similar  secrecy 
has  been  maintained  as  to  their  honeymoon  plans. 

It  is  known  that  the  Misses  Smith  of  New  Orleans,  relatives  of 
the  President,  are  urging  that  the  honeymoon  be  enjoyed  at  Pass 
Christian,  Miss.,  where  Mr.  Wilson  and  his  family  spent  the  Christ- 
mas holidays  two  years  ago.  It  is  believed  the  President  will  not 
choose  a  place  as  far  distant  as  Pass  Christian.  His  friends  predict 
that  if  he  takes  any  trip  at  all  it  will  be  on  the  yacht  Mayflower. 

Congratulations  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  on  his  en- 
gagement were  extended  to  the  President  this  morning  when  the 
Justices  called  formally  to  pay  their  respects  on  the  occasion  of  the 
convening  of  the  court  for  the  fall  sittings.  The  Justices  were  re- 
ceived in  the  Blue  Room.  They  were  in  their  judicial  robes  and  all 
members  were  present  except  Justice  Lamar,  whose  illness  prevented. 

President  Wilson's  impetuosity  as  a  prospective  bridegroom  is 
keeping  the  secret  service  on  the  jump  nearly  all  the  time.  More 
frequently  than  he  ever  has  done  in  the  past,  the  President  leaves 
the  White  House  unattended  and  without  giving  warning  to  his 
bodyguard. 


EXERCISES  289 

He  did  this  yesterday  when  he  started  for  Mrs.  Gait's  residence, 
where  he  was  to  be  a  dinner  guest,  and  again  this  morning  when  he 
walked  down  town  to  purchase  a  new  travelling  bag.  The  purchase 
resulted  in  renewed  speculation  whether  or  not  the  date  for  the 
wedding  is  imminent. 

LEO  FRANK   WORSE    TO-DAY 

Milledgeville,  Ga.,  July  19.  —  Physicians  who  examined  Leo  M. 
Frank  in  the  state  prison  early  to-day  said  his  condition  was  much 
worse.  The  jagged  cut  in  his  throat,  received  at  the  hands  of  a 
fellow  prisoner,  William  Green,  Saturday  night,  was  swollen  and  his 
temperature  was  102  2-5. 

Physicians  have  succeeded  in  stopping  the  flow  of  blood  from  a 
jagged  wound  made  with  a  butcher  knife  by  William  Green,  also 
serving  a  life  term  for  murder.  The  blow  was  struck  as  Frank  slept 
in  his  bunk. 

An  investigation  of  the  attack  probably  will  be  made  by  the 
Georgia  prison  commission. 

Frank's  temperature  was  as  low  as  101  Monday  noon,  but  ran 
up  to  102  2-5  Monday  night.  The  wound  is  an  ugly,  jagged  one. 

BRYAN   LOSES    TEMPER 

Dallas,  Texas,  Oct.  2.  —  William  J.  Bryan,  who  formerly  held  a 
government  job,  has  temper. 

He  took  said  temper  out  for  an  airing  here  to-day.  He  was  riding 
from  the  railroad  station  to  the  hotel  with  a  reception  committee,  of 
which  a  reporter  happened  to  be  a  member. 

"Do  you  ever  intend  to  be  a  candidate  for  public  office?"  asked 
the  reporter. 

"I  think,  sir,  if  you  had  any  sense  you  wouldn't  have  asked  that 
question,"  replied  the  exponent  of  peace. 

"I  meant  no  impertinence." 

"Well,  it  was  impertinent.  You  wouldn't  want  to  answer  that 
question  yourself,  would  you?" 

"Sure  I  can  answer  it.  I  never  intend  to  be  a  candidate  for 
anything." 

"Well,  I  don't  think  any  friend  of  mine  would  try  to  get  me  to 
promise  never  to  be  a  candidate  again." 

"I  didn't  ask  you  to  promise." 

"Well,  that's  all  right,"  the  ex-premier  and  the  dove  of  peace 
returned. 


. 
290  NEWS  WRITING 

Bryan  was  almost  kissed  again  to-day. 

B.  F.  Pace,  a  peace  enthusiast,  with  outstretched  arms  and  pursed- 
up  lips,  rushed  upon  the  Nebraskan  in  the  hotel  lobby.  Bryan 
blushed  coyly,  clapped  his  hand  over  his  mouth  and  dodged  behind  a 
six-foot  Texan. 

"Not  too  fast  there!"  he  warned. 

Friends  intervened. 

Pace  has  bushy  whiskers. 

GUEST   AT   PARTY   ROBBER 

The  police  are  searching  for  a  man  known  as  "Jack  Wallace," 
who  is  wanted  for  robbing  W.  G.  Gaede,.  444  West  Grand  Avenue, 
of  jewelry  valued  at  $350  at  the  Auditorium  Hotel. 

Gaede,  who  was  celebrating  New  Year's  eve,  met  Wallace  and 
took  him  to  the  Auditorium.  At  4  o'clock  yesterday  morning 
Wallace  suggested  that  Gaede  retire. 

Wallace  took  Gaede  to  his  room  and  soon  afterward  departed. 
When  Gaede  awoke  his  diamond  stud,  watch,  chain,  and  charm 
were  gone,  also  $20  in  currency. 

Mrs.  Agnes  Ackerman  of  the  Morrison  Hotel  was  robbed  of  a  purse 
containing  $50  while  dining  at  the  Hotel  La  Salle  Saturday  night. 

B.  Put  the  following  details  in  proper  sequence  for  a 
suicide  story: 

Ira  Hancock 

Committed  suicide  (?)  about  10  A.M.,  Monday. 

Used  to  be  wealthy. 

Always  gave  waiters  a  good  tip. 

Never  quit  tipping  even  when  he  became  poor. 

Said  tip  was  part  of  price  of  a  meal. 

Waiters  always  glad  to  see  him. 

Patronized  cheap  restaurants  for  the  past  three  months. 

Lived  at  1919  Washington  Avenue. 

Age,  29. 

Left  room  Monday  morning  with  only  a  nickel  and  a  bunch  of 

keys. 

Borrowed  a  quarter  from  Bob  Cranston,  downtown  friend. 
Went  together  for  breakfast  at  Cozy  Cafe,  18  Main  Street. 
Breakfast  cost  25  cents  each. 
Hancock  gave  waiter  five-cent  tip. 
Cranston  called  him  a  fool. 


EXERCISES  291 

Hancock  unmarried. 

9  :oo  A.M.,  engaged  a  dressing  room  at  Island  Bathing  house. 

Bathing  beach  closed  at  midnight;    Hancock's  clothing  still  in 

the  dressing  room. 
Only  a  bunch  of  keys  in  the  pockets. 
Fired  from  job  at  Snyder's  Malt  house,  Saturday  night. 
Taught  girls'  Sunday-school  class,  West  Side  Baptist  church, 

Sunday  morning. 
Body  not  found. 
Lost  money  dealing  in  war  stocks  three  months  ago 

CHAPTER  IX 

A.  Correct  such  of  the  following  leads  as  need  correction. 
Where  the  age  of  the  person,  his  place  of  residence,  or  similar 
details  necessary  to  an  effective  lead  are  lacking,  supply 
them  (paragraphs  100-120). 

1.  Adam  Schenk  fell  off  the  runway  at  the  Fernholz  Lumber  Yard 
on  Monday  forenoon  and  landed  on  his  back  at  a  point  near  his  kid- 
neys on  a  stake  on  the  wagon,  breaking  the  stake  off. 

2.  Rather  than  to  put  the  Tut  tie  Press  Company  to  an  unneces- 
sary expense  of  appropriating  $1,000  that  would  do  neither  the  city 
nor  any  particular  individual  a  cent's  worth  of  material  good,  and 
assuming  also  that  the  city,  by  virtue  of  the  fact  that  the  company's 
original  plant  was  erected  on  lines  provided  by  the  city's  engineer, 
is  in  a  measure  responsible  for  present  conditions,  the  city  commis- 
sioners in  conference  with  S.  A.  Whedon  of  the  Tuttle  Press  Company 
this  morning  decided  not  to  proceed  further  in  the  matter  of  order- 
ing removed  the  walls  of  a  big  addition  to  the  plant  now  in  process 
of  construction. 

3.  Roaming  hogs  was  the  cause  of  the  recent  illness  of  Mr.  T.  N. 
Davis.     The  hogs  rooted  under  the  wire  fence  surrounding  his  resi- 
dence and  in  his  effort  to  get  them  out  he  exerted  himself  beyond 
his  endurance. 

4.  At  an  early  hour  Tuesday  morning,  as  the  beams  of  the  rising 
sun  were  struggling  to  dispel  the  uncertainties  of  a  winter  night, 
the  final  summons  came  to  Miss  Ella  O'Harrigan,  our  beloved  libra- 
rian, to  join  the  innumerable  caravan  that  moves  to  the  pale  realms 
of  shade. 

6.  Again  the  lure  of  Broadway,  the  craving  to  be  among  expen- 
sively clad  men  and  women,  and  a  longing  to  seem  of  more  thaa 


292  NEWS  WRITING 

actual  importance,  have  resulted  in  a  fall  from  a  position  of  responsi- 
bility and  trust  to  one  facing  the  possibility  of  a  long  term  of 
imprisonment. 

This  time  it  is  a  woman;  good  looking,  possessing  the  knack  of 
dressing  smartly,  capable  and  efficient,  and  less  than  40  years  old. 
For  six  years  she  had  been  head  bookkeeper  in  Marbury  Hall,  an 
apartment  hotel  of  the  best  class,  at  164  West  Seventy-fourth  Street. 
For  more  than  two  years  of  that  time,  according  to  the  prosecuting 
officials,  she  has  been  putting  cash  belonging  to  the  hotel  into  her 
own  diamond-studded  purse,  whence  it  was  transferred  to  the  coffers 
of  expensive  dressmakers,  theatres,  and  restaurants,  particularly 
those  which  maintained  dance  floors. 

Yesterday  afternoon  she  was  arrested,  charged  with  grand  larceny. 
She  raised  her  hand  to  her  mouth  as  the  detective  tapped  her 
shoulder,  and  a  vfew  minutes  later  was  taken  to  the  Polyclinic 
Hospital,  to  be  later  transferred  to  Belle vue.  She  will  recover  from 
the  poison  and  will  have  to  face  in  court  in  four  or  five  days  the 
charges  which  she  attempted  to  avoid  by  death.  .  .  . 

6.  Swept  by  a   33-mile   gale,  a   fire  which   started  in   a  three- 
story  frame  Greek  restaurant  on  Appomattox  Street  this  afternoon 
quickly   spread    to   adjoining    frame    buildings   in    Hopewell,    the 
"Wonder  City,"  at  the  gates  of  the  Du  Pont  Powder  Company's 
plant,  twenty  miles  from  here,  and  at  nightfall  practically  every 
business  house,  hotel,  and  restaurant  in  the  mushroom  powder  town 
of  30,000  had  been  wiped  out,  the  loss  amounting  to  $1,000,000  or 
more. 

7.  One  man,  a  bank  messenger,  was  shot  mortally  and  his  as- 
sailant wounded,  perhaps  mortally,  two  other  men  narrowly  missed 
death  by  shooting,  and  thousands  of  persons  were  terrorized  by  an 
attempted  hold-up  in   the   Fourteenth   Street   subway  station   at 
4  o'clock  yesterday  afternoon,  and  by  a  chase  which  skirted  Union 
Square,  continued  through  a  theatre  arcade  and  ended  blocks  away. 

8.  As  a  result  of  an  old  quarrel  between  two  citizens  of  Leroy,  the 
melting  snow-drifts  on  the  streets  of  that  city  ran  red  with  human 
blood,  Wednesday.     John  M.  Zellhoefer  lay  gasping  his  last  breath 
on  the  sidewalk,  with  a  fatal  bullet  wound  through  the  midst  of  his 
body,  while 'over  him  stood  Francis  Marion  Dunkin,  with  smoking 
revolver  in  hand. 

9.  Nothing  had  been  learned  by  the  police  last  night  to  indicate 
that  George  de  Brosa,  who  died  early  yesterday  morning  in  Bellevue 
hospital  after  fatally  wounding  Allan  Gardner,  a  bank  messenger, 
and  being  shot  by  Walter  F.  Orleman,  another  bank  messenger,  in 


EXERCISES  293 

an  attempted  holdup  of  the  two  in  the  Fourteenth  Street  subway 
station  Friday  afternoon,  had  an  accomplice. 

10.  At  All  Saints  Cathedral  Sunday  morning,  Dean  Seldon  P. 
Delany  spoke  on  "Salvation  through  Self-Sacrifice,"  taking  for  his 
text  Mark  viii,  35:   "Whosoever  will  save  his  life  shall  lose  it;   but 
whosoever  shall  lose  his  life  for  my  sake  and  the  gospel's,  the  same 
shall  save  it." 

11.  Rachel    Green,    colored,    suffered    a    dislocated    and    badly 
sprained  knee  last  night  while  she  was  attending  religious  services 
at  Main  Street  Colored  Baptist  church  and  another  woman  began 
to  shout  and  jumped  into  her  lap. 

12.  James  L.  Crawley  of  Hastings  is  confined  to  his  home  with  a 
broken  arm  and  lacerated  ear.     His  injuries  were  received  when  he 
stepped  on  the  family  cat  and  fell  headlong  down  the  cellar  steps. 
The  cat  was  asleep  on  the  top  step. 

13.  John  Radcliffe,   16  years  old,  of  Moultrie,  had  never  been 
kissed,   and  in   trying  desperately  to   maintain   this   estate,   while 
pursued  at  a  barn  dance  by  Mrs.  Winifred  Trice,  Monday  night, 
he  fell  out  of  a  door  twenty  feet  from  the  ground  and  was  picked  up 
with  one  arm  and  three  ribs  fractured. 

14.  Charged  with  having  tried  to  obtain  $1,000  by  forgery,  a 
handsomely  gowned  young  woman,  who  gave  her  name  as  Irene 
Minnerly,  and  said  she  was  a  telephone  operator,  and  a  man  who 
described  himself  as  Webster  Percy  Simpson,  thirty-six,  living  at 
the  Hotel  Endicott,  were  arrested  yesterday  afternoon  as  they  were 
leaving  the  offices  of  Fernando  W.  Brenner,  at  No.  6  Church  Street. 

15.  Allen  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  the  well-known  London  firm  of  publishers, 
has  been  prosecuted  for  the  publication  of  a  novel  called  "The  Rain- 
drop," written  by  D.  H.  Lawrence,  on  the  ground  that  it  is  obscene. 

16.  Interesting  testimony  was  given  before  Justice  Scudder  in 
the  Supreme  Court  to-day  in  the  hearing  of  the  suit  for  divorce 
brought  by  Harry  H.  Wiggins  of  Floral  Park,  a  retired  grocer.     Mr. 
Wiggins  alleged  undue  fondness  for  John  Burglond,  a  farm  hand 
formerly  employed  in  Mrs.  Wiggins'  cabbage  patch.     Mrs.  Wiggins 
is  53  years  old  and  Burglond  33. 

17.  S.  H.  Brannick  of  this  city  lost  a  fine  cow  last  week,  the  animal 
departing  this  life  suddenly  after  the  city  had  retired  for  the  evening. 

18.  Miss  Ellen  Peterson,  a  former  employee  of  Miss  Josie  Grif- 
fin's millinery,  2318  Cottage  Grove  Avenue,  was  married  Tuesday 
by  the  Rev.  Johnston  Myers  at   Immanuel   Baptist  church.     The 
couple  left  immediately  after  the   ceremony  for  a   wedding   trip 
through  the  West. 


294  NEWS  WRITING 

19.  Hilda  is  the  daughter  of  one  of  the  deftest  colored  janitors 
who  ever  kept  a  dumb  waiter  just  that.  With  her  father  and  mother 
she  lives  in  a  court  apartment  on  the  ground  floor  of  No.  195  Main 
St.,  and  last  night  she  was  slumbering  blissfully,  wrapped  in  dreams 
of  a  chocolate-colored  Santa  Claus  with  sweet-potato  trimmings  and 
persimmon  whiskers,  when  she  heard  the  window  of  her  room  open. 

B.  Comment  on  the  leads  to  the  following  stories,  re- 
writing any  that  need  correction  (paragraphs  100-120): 

1.  This  story  dates  back  eight   months,   when   Mrs.   Elizabeth 
Hocbberger  became  a  patient  at  the  county  hospital  in  Chicago. 
6he  was  ill  of  typhoid  fever  and  in  her  first  night  at  the  hospital  she 
became  delirious.     While  in  this  condition  she  seized  a  ten-inch 
table  knife  from  a  tray  and  in  the  absence  of  anyone  to  restrain  her 
poked  it  down  her  throat.     Attendants  attracted  by  the  woman's 
groans  hurried  to '  the  bedside.     Then  an  interne  appeared,  made 
a  hasty  diagnosis,  and  attributed  the  patient's  action  to  the  delirium. 
He  administered  an  opiate.     Several  days  later  Mrs.  Hochberger, 
having  passed  the  crisis  of  the  fever,  began  to  recover.     A  week 
afterward  she  was  discharged  as  cured. 

From  the  time  she  complained  of  internal  pains  and  to  relatives 
she  recounted  a  vague  story  of  her  delirium  at  the  hospital.  She 
had  a  faint  recollection  of  swallowing  a  knife,  she  said.  To  swal- 
low a  knife  and  survive  was  improbable,  she  was  told,  but  she 
was  advised  to  see  a  physician.  The  first  doctor  called  in  recom- 
mended an  immediate  operation  for  a  tumor.  Another  believed 
she  had  an  acute  case  of  appendicitis. 

"It  was  not  until  we  made  our  discovery  that  Mrs.  Hochberger 
told  us  of  her  delirium,"  said  the  doctor.  "Had  I  heard  it  before 
making  the  X-ray  examination  I  would  have  hardly  given  it  credence. 
I  have  heard  of  people  swallowing  coins  and  pencils,  but  this  is  the 
first  knife  ever  brought  to  my  attention." 

The  knife  was  removed  to-day  by  Dr.  George  C  Amerson  at  the 
West  Side  Hospital. 

2.  If  you  want  a  man  to  love  you, 

Bear  in  mind  this  plan: 
Always  keep  him  doubtful  of  you; 
Fool  him  all  you  can! 

Never  let  him  know  you  like  him; 

Never  answer,  "Yes," 
Till  you  have  him  broken-hearted. 

Make  him  guess,  guess,  guess. 


EXERCISES  295 

This  is  the  chorus  of  one  of  the  songs  Pearl  Palmer,  pretty  opera 
singer,  was  to  have  sung  when  she  made  her  first  Broadway  appear- 
ance as  one  of  the  principals  of  the  opera,  "The  Princess  Pat." 
Now  she  is  dead  because  she  carried  this  philosophy  into  her  own 
life,  her  friends  say.  Herbert  Haeckler,  who  killed  the  young 
singer  and  himself  Sunday  night,  had  been  kept  "guessing,"  they 
said,  until  his  mind  had  given  away. 

Eva  Fallen  will  sing  the  song  Miss  Palmer  was  to  have  sung  when 
the  opera  opens  to-morrow  night.  It  was  postponed  from  last  night 
because  of  the  tragedy. 

3.  A  young  man  by  the  name  of  Tom  Verbeck,  18  years  old,  liv- 
ing in  Freeport,  who  rides  a  motorcycle,  was  passing  along  the 
Chicago  road,  Friday,  when  he  met  an  automobile  driver  who  was 
in  distress.  The  motorcycle  man  stopped,  and  when  asked  to  lend 
a  hand  gave  freely  of  his  time.  He  was  unsuccessful,  however,  and 
it  was  decided  to  have  the  motorcycle  tow  the  auto  into  Freeport. 
More  complications  presented  themselves,  as  neither  the  auto  driver 
nor  the  motorcycle  rider  had  a  rope  to  tie  the  two  machines  together. 
The  automobile  man  solved  this  problem  by  taking  off  his  wool  shirt 
and  using  it  for  a  tow-rope.  The  owner  of  the  auto  rode  in  the  buzz 
wagon  into  town,  and  on  account  of  the  darkness  it  was  not  noticed 
that  he  was  shy  a  shirt.  The  motorcyclist  towed  the  machine  to 
the  residence  of  the  driver  by  way  of  back  streets,  and  here  he  un- 
loaded the  machine.  The  shirt  used  as  a  tow-rope  was  not  dis- 
membered by  the  operation. 

C.  Write  the  lead  to  the  story  the  outline  of  which  was 
given  on  page  290. 

D.  Write  for  Friday  afternoon's  paper  an  informal  lead 
to  the  following  story: 

Characters:  Anton  Kurdiana  and  his  wife,  Rosa  (n6e  Novak). 

Anton's  age,  24;    Rosa's,  20. 

Married  three  months  ago. 

Anton  has  a  cork  leg. 

Leg  cut  off  above  the  knee  by  a  train  a  year  ago. 

Rosa  Novak  a  nurse  in  the  hospital  to  which  he  was  taken. 

Rosa  preparing  to  get  a  divorce. 

Anton  did  not  want  a  divorce. 

A  friend  of  Anton's  told  him  if  he  would  leave  the  state,  Rosa 

could  not  get  the  divorce. 
A  friend  of  Rosa's  told  her  Anton  was  preparing  to  leave  early 

this  (Friday)  morning. 


296  NEWS  WRITING 

Last  night  after  he  went  to  bed,  Rosa  hid  his  cork  leg. 

He  called  for  help  from  his  bedroom  window  this  morning  and 

the  police  came. 

Bailiff  also  came  and  served  notice  of  divorce  proceedings. 
They  live  at  2404  Faraon  Street,  this  city, 
Cause  of  divorce,  cruelty  and  non-support. 

E.   Explain  the  different  tones  of  the  following  leads  and 
the  writers'  methods  of  gaining  their  effects  (paragraph  119)  : 

1.    "You  have  stolen  my  daughter!    Take  that!" 
"That"  was  a  short  right  jab  to  the  face.     Mrs.  Anna  la  Violette 
f  6632  SoutkW^ash  A^nue  ^as  the  donor,  and  William  Metcalf, 
merely  married  her  daughter  Elsie,  aged  18,  owned  the 


2.  Twenty  grains  of  cocaine  and  morphine  a  day,  eighty  times 
the  amount  an  average  dope  fiend  uses,  enough  to  kill  forty  men, 
fifteen  years  at  it   too,  —  this  is  the  record  of   Dopy  Phil  Harris, 
the  human  dope  marvel  found  to-day  by  the  California  Board  of 
Pharmacy  in  its  combing  of  the   San  Francisco  underworld.     If 
poison  were  taken  away  from  Harris  for  forty-eight  hours,  he  would 
die  within  the  next  twenty-four. 

3.  The  winds,  whose  treachery  Archie  Hoxsey  so  often  defied  and 
conquered,  killed  the  noted  aviator  to-day.     As  if  jealous  of  his  in- 
trepidity, they  seized  him  and  his  fragile   biplane,  flung  them  out 
of  the  sky,  and  crushed  out  his  life  on  the  field  from  which  he  had 
risen  a  few  minutes  before  with  a  laughing  promise  to  pierce  the 
heavens  and  soar  higher  than  any  human  being  had  ever  dared  go 
before. 

4.  The  champion  lodge  "jiner"  is  the  title  bestowed  by  Mrs. 
Jennie  Gehret,  wife  of  John  D.  Gehret,  of  this  city,  on  her  husband. 
It  is  not  because  she  wants  to  be  his  wife.     She  is  suing  for  divorce, 
and  John's  feats  as  a  jiner  are  the  reasons  for  her  action. 

6.    And  tragedy  blurs  out  their  joy  again. 

Five-year-old  Norman  Porter  of  Wadsworth,  111.,  wanted  a  toy 
horse  on  wheels  for  Christmas,  and  his  nine-year-old  brother,  Leroy, 
wrote  Santa  for  an  automobile  that  would  "run  by  itself." 

The  wooden  horse,  its  head  broken  off,  lay  last  night  in  the  snow 
at  Kedzie  Avenue  and  Sixteenth  Street.  A  few  feet  away  some 
children  picked  up  the  tin  automobile  bent  almost  beyond  recog- 
nition. The  toys  were  knocked  from  the  arms  of  Mrs.  James  R. 
Porter,  the  boy's  mother,  when  she  was  struck  by  an  automobile 
and  the  same  wheels  which  crushed  out  her  life  had  passed  over  them. 


EXERCISES  297 

6.  A  fair-haired  boy  in  knickerbockers,  who  chewed  gum  with 
reckless  insouciance  and  indulged  in  cool  satirical  comment  on  his 
companion's  amateur  efforts,  yesterday  directed  a    daring  holdup 
of  the  Chicago  Art  and  Silver  Shop  at  438  Lincoln  Parkway,  from 
which  silverware  and  jewelry  valued  at  $600  was  carried  off. 

7.  He  is  colored,  forty-three  years  old,  a  laborer,  and  lives  at  No. 
440  West  Forty-fifth  Street,  and  when  he  was  brought  before  Lieut. 
Fogarty  at   Police   Headquarters  yesterday   charged   with  having 
done  some  fancy  carving  with  a  razor  on  the  countenance  of  Ira 
Robinson  of  No.  2004  Clinton  Street,  he  gave  his  name  as  General 
Beauregard  Bivins. 


CHAPTER 


j  £ 


A.  Criticize  the  following  stories  from  the  standpoint  of 
accuracy  of  presentation.  Rewrite  the  second.  (Paragraphs 
122-126.) 

FUTURE  WIVES  WARNED 

Not  since  the  days  of  the  cave  men  has  masculine  assurance  dared 
issue  such  an  ultimatum  to  femininity  as  that  just  sent  by  an  or- 
ganization of  students  of  Tulane  University  known  as  "Our  Future 
Wives"  club.  The  club  has  as  its  purpose  the  dictation  of  the  dress 
selection  of  every  woman.  It  is  an  organization  of  young  men  who 
have  developed  the  stern  purpose  of  correcting  female  faults  and  of 
widening  the  scope  of  choice  that  they  may  have  in  the  choosing  of 
wives  who  will  be  sensible. 

The  fifteen  students  who  are  members  have  pledged  themselves 
to  taboo  socially  every  young  woman  who  does  not  literally  adhere  to 
the  list  of  regulations  which  the  organization  has  prescribed  as  dress 
limitations.  Young  women  who  refuse  to  be  guided  by  the  ukase 
of  the  club  will  find  that  none  of  its  members  will  ever  extend  any 
invitations  to  them;  they  will  discover,  it  is  promised,  that  they 
have  been  sadly  and  most  completely  "cut." 

At  its  initial  meeting  the  club  drew  up  and  adopted  a  "proclama- 
tion." This  document  was  mailed  in  copy  to  every  young  woman 
student  of  Newcomb  College.  The  young  women  recipients  read 
the  following: 

"i.  We  will  look  upon  no  young  woman  with  favor  who  spends 
more  than  $15  a  year  for  hats.  Only  one  hat  should  be  worn  through- 
out the  year.  We  think  it  possible  that  hats  may  be  trimmed  over 
and  worn  for  several  years. 


298  NEWS  WRITING 

"2.  "No  cosmetics  should  be  used.  Powder  might  be  used  in  the 
case  of  a  sallow  girl. 

"3.  Perfumes  are  absolutely  under  the  ban  as  a  needless  and  dis- 
agreeable expense. 

"4.  Additional  hair  should  not  be  bought.  It  is  an  extravagance 
and  is  contrary  to  the  purpose  of  nature. 

"5.  Not  more  than  $40  a  year  should  be  expended  for  dresses 
and  suits. 

"6.  Jewelry,  with  the  exception  of  a  wedding  ring,  is  no  adorn- 
ment, to  our  way  of  thinking.  Off  with  diamonds,  rubies,  and  pearls, 
and  the  like. 

"7.  Silk  stockings  are  the  one  extravagance  allowed.  Scientists 
say  that  silk  stockings  prevent  the  wearer  from  being  struck  by 
lightning. 

"8.    Five  dollars  a  year  is  the  amount  necessary  for  shoes. 

"9.  Laces  of  all  descriptions  making  for  an  appearance  of  frivolity 
should  not  be  used  in  dress. 

"10.    All  other  necessaries  of  dress  should  not  cost  more  than  $25 


a  year." 


EIGHT   COIN-BOX    ROBBERS    CAUGHT 


In  the  arrest  last  night  of  five  men  and  three  women  as  they  were 
wrapping  piles  of  five-cent  pieces  into  one-dollar  rolls  in  an  elabo- 
rately furnished  apartment  near  Audubon  Avenue  and  i72d  Street, 
the  police  have  found  the  thieves  who  have  been  concerned  in  all 
the  telephone  slot-box  robberies  during  the  past  three  years  and 
have  robbed  the  New  York  Telephone  Company  of  thousands  of 
dollars. 

The  men  and  women  under  arrest  have  used  a  powerful  automo- 
bile in  going  about  the  city,  robbing  the  slot  boxes  with  skeleton  keys 
and  files.  The  men  arrested  gave  the  following  names  and  ages:  — 
Tom  Morrison,  21;  Nic  Marino,  26;  Adam  Neeley,  25;  William  O. 
Cohen,  30;  and  Charles  Guise,  25.  The  women  were  Delia  Thomas, 
25;  Dorothy  Price,  25;  and  Dollie  Lewis,  25. 

For  more  than  two  years  the  New  York  Telephone  Company  has 
endeavored  unsuccessfully  to  trap  these  thieves  in  their  robberies 
of  the  pay  stations.  Buzzers  were  affixed  so  that  an  attempt  to 
open  them  would  sound  a  warning,  but,  despite  that,  the  thefts  con- 
tinued. Acting  Captain  Jones,  of  the  Third  Branch,  and  Acting 
Captain  Cooper,  of  the  Fourth  Branch  Detective  Bureaus,  who 
directed  the  arrests,  declare  that  the  women  did  the  telephoning 
and  opened  the  coin  boxes,  and  that  one  of  the  men,  coming  to  the 


EXERCISES  299 

booth  from  the  telephone  as  if  to  call,  reached  in  a  hand  or  a  small 
bag  and  took  the  coins. 


BREEZE    AND    RAIN    PRODUCER    DISCOVERED 

Prof.  Marblenut,  Dopetown's  imminent  (correct)  scientist,  has 
arranged  to  furnish  this  city  with  a  perpetual  cool  breeze  and  two 
showers  a  week,  all  next  summer.  The  breeze  is  to  be  made  by  a 
gigantic  electric  fan  operated  by  current  generated  in  a  plant  on  the 
banks  of  Little  Muddy,  at  Pigankle  Falls.  This  monster  fan  will  be 
made  of  steel.  The  showers  will  be  made  by  an  apparatus  built  on 
the  same  principle  as  a  Chinese  laundryman's  face  when  he  takes  a 
mouthful  of  water  and  sprays  the  wash.  The  water  will  come  from 
the  river  and  will  be  filtered,  then  sprayed  over  the  city  from  the 
face  of  a  colossal  Chinese  figure  standing  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river 
above  the  power  house.  Prof.  Marblenut  is  the  same  man  who  at- 
tempted suicide  with  a  bakery  doughnut  when  his  wife  left  him  last 
year.  A  friend  took  the  deadly  thing  from  him  and  saved  his  life. 


BOB    LA  FOLLETTE    STILL    INCONSISTENT 

Senator  Robert  M.  La  Follette  faced  an  audience  of  about  300 
men  in  the  armory  on  Tuesday  night.  He  arrived  rather  late  as  if 
to  so  sharpen  the  appetite  of  curiosity  that  his  unsavory  oratorical 
courses  might  be  bolted  without  inspection  and  denunciation  of  the 
chef.  The  Senator  was  conducted  to  the  stage  and  introduced  by 
Assemblyman  Ballard.  His  arrival  was  greeted  with  only  an  inkling 
of  applause  from  one  corner  of  the  gallery  occupied  by  a  few  college 
students.  Near  the  stage  rested  Peter  Tubbs  and  Senator  Culbert- 
son,  sphinx-like  in  the  desert  of  progressivism  meditating  on  the 
grandeur  of  past  political  glory  abused  and  lost.  To  the  men  an 
occasional  political  riddle  was  proposed  by  the  speaker  for  solution. 

The  Senator's  speech  lasted  nearly  three  hours,  two  of  which  were 
devoted  to  ancient  history,  and  one  to  sharp  criticisms  of  the  Philipp 
administration.  From  the  beginning  of  things  in  Wisconsin,  the 
Senator  traced  the  growth  of  democratic  institutions  on  the  one 
hand  and  that  of  corporations  on  the  other.  The  alleged  incessant 
struggle  for  mastery  between  them  was  described  with  stage  sin- 
cerity. It  appeared,  from  his  account,  that  the  people  were  losing 
ground  up  to  the  time  of  his  birth  a  half  century  or  more  back.  And 
there  was  a  dearth  of  honest  men  and  patriotic  statesmen  in  the 
state  until  the  Senator  was  old  enough  to  hold  public  office.  .  .  . 


300  NEWS  WRITING 

CLAUDE   OLDS    DIES    FROM    COASTING   INJURIES 

Claude  Olds,  1 2-year-old  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Olds,  Wil- 
son Street,  died  at  3 145  o'clock  yesterday  afternoon  at  St.  Elizabeth 
Hospital  as  a  result  of  injuries  sustained  in  a  coasting  accident,  re- 
lated briefly  in  these  columns  yesterday.  The  lad  sustained  a 
broken  neck  and  internal  injuries. 

Dr.  Alvin  Scott  of  the  Bowman  park  commission,  who  was  instru- 
mental in  providing  safe  toboggan  slides  for  the  children  in  the  city 
park,  has  decided  since  yesterday's  fatal  accident  to  ask  the  city  com- 
mission for  an  appropriation  sufficient  to  establish  a  number  more  of 
toboggan  slides  for  the  accommodation  of  children  in  various  parts 
of  the  city.  He  is  proceeding  on  the  very  safe  assumption  that  if 
there  had  been  a  toboggan  slide  in  the  Third  Ward  the  fatality  of 
yesterday  would  not  have  happened,  for  there  would  then  have  been 
no  occasion  for  children  coasting  on  the  hill  where  the  accident 
occurred. 

The  unfortunate  lad,  with  his  brother,  Ernest  Olds,  and  Chester 
Graves  and  Bessie  Lamb,  were  on  a  delivery  sled  owned  by  the 
Barnes  and  Scholtz  Grocery  Company,  sliding  down  a  hill  that  ex- 
tends into  the  ravine  just  north  of  Second  Street  and  east  of  Mason. 
When  about  halfway  down  the  bob  capsized  and  the  little  Olds  boy 
was  buried  under  it.  Coasting  on  hills  not  especially  prepared  for 
it  is  dangerous  to  life  and  limb.  The  authorities  should  put  a  stop 
to  it  in  Bowman,  but  at  the  same  time  the  city  should  make  safe 
provision  for  such  sport  by  erecting  toboggan  slides  similar  to  the 
ones  in  the  city  park. 

MRS.    DOWS   SEEKING   ADVENTURE 

Mrs.  Andrews  Dows,  whose  photograph  is  reproduced  above, 
says  she  believes  she  is  the  most  adventuresome  of  New  York's 
society  women,  but  is  tired  of  the  humdrum  existence  of  Mother 
Earth  in  general  and  New  York  in  particular.  She  says  she  thinks 
she  has  run  the  entire  gamut  of  worldly  thrills,  but  is  still  on  the 
lookout  for  something  new.  Mrs.  Dows  declares  she  has  ridden  the 
most  fiery  of  steeds  and  taken  them  over  the  most  dangerous  jumps. 
She  has  driven  auto  racing  cars  at  blinding  speed.  Once  she  captured 
a  burglar  single-handed.  She  has  piloted  all  manner  of  water  speed 
craft.  Now  she  declares  she  is  tired  of  flitting  through  the  clouds 
in  an  aeroplane  and  is  impatiently  waiting  to  hear  of  some  sort  of 
dangerous  adventure  that  she  has  not  already  experienced. 


EXERCISES  301 

B.  What  criticism  may  be  made  of  the  following? 

An  even  one  hundred  reservations  have  been  made  for  the  New 
Year's  Eve  dinner  to  be  served  at  1 1  o'clock  in  the  Venetian  room  at 
the  Carman  House,  and  thirty  have  been  made  for  service  in  the 
cafe".  No  more  can  be  accommodated  in  the  Venetian  room,  but 
the  management  will  be  able  to  take  care  of  a  few  more  in  the  cafe" 
and  French  room.  Those  who  have  reserved  places  are  planning 
to  make  this  the  biggest  New  Year's  jollification  ever  held  in  Avon- 
dale.  The  management  of  the  Carman  also  says  that  patrons  will 
be  given  the  very  best  of  service. 

C.  Examine  the  following  story  for  its  excellence  in  keep- 
ing the  time  relation  entirely  clear.     Show  how  the  writer 
obtains  this  clearness  and  how  he  avoids  the  possibility  of 
libel.     (Paragraphs  124-131.) 

DEATH   NOTE    BEARS    AUTHOR'S    TRAGEDY    IN    LOVE 

Four  years  ago  the  love  story  of  Myrtle  Reed,  the  author,  who 
had  immortalized  her  husband,  James  Sydney  McCullough,  in  prose 
and  verse,  came  to  a  tragic  end  when  she  committed  suicide  in 
"  Paradise  Flat,"  her  Kenmore  Avenue  apartment.  During  the 
five  years  of  her  married  life  her  "model  husband,"  as  she  called 
McCullough,  was  believed  to  have  furnished  the  inspiration  for 
"Lavender  and  Old  Lace,"  "The  Master's  Violin,"  and  other  love 
stories  from  her  pen. 

Mystery  shrouded  her  death  and  an  effort  was  made  to  hush  up 
the  suggestion  that  she  was  convinced  that  her  husband  no  longer 
loved  her.  A  note  addressed  to  her  aged  mother  was  never  made 
public. 

Yesterday  in  Circuit  Judge  Windes's  court  her  father,  Hiram  V. 
Reed,  sought  to  have  McCullough  deposed  as  trustee  of  her  estate 
of  about  $91,000.  Negligence  and  misapplication  of  funds  were 
charged.  Mr.  Reed's  attorney  planned  to  show  that  Mrs.  McCul- 
lough expected  to  change  her  will  before  she  committed  suicide. 

What  purported  to  be  the  mysterious  note  was  offered  in  evidence. 
It  was  typewritten  and  only  two  words  of  script  appeared  in  it. 
Judge  Windes  ruled  that  it  was  not  sufficiently  identified  and  re- 
jected it  as  evidence.  The  offered  note  reads  in  part: 

"  Dearest  Mother:  After  five  years  of  torment  I  have  set  myself  free. 
I  suppose  you'll  think  it's  cowardly,  but  I  cannot  help  it.  I  cannot 


302  NEWS  WRITING 

bear  it  any  longer.  Last  night  was  the  twelfth  anniversary  of  our 
meeting.  He  was  to  come  home  early  and  bring  me  some  flowers,  and 
instead  of  that  he  came  home  at  half  past  one  so  drunk  he  couldn't 
stand  up. 

"  Last  year  my  birthday  and  the  anniversary  of  our  engagement  were 
the  same  way.  This  morning  he  went  out  of  town  without  even  waking 
me  up  to  say  goodby  to  me  or  telling  me  where  he  was  going  or  when 
he  would  be  back.  All  I  asked  of  him  was  that  he  should  come  home 
sober  at  half  past  six  as  other  men  do,  but  he  refuses  to  give  me  even 
this.  I  am  crushed,  overwhelmed,  drowned, 

"  I  enclose  two  bank  savings  books.  This  is  for  you  and  and  father 
and  for  nobody  else  under  any  circumstances  whatever,  aside  from  the 
provision  I  have  made  for  you  in  my  will.  I've  tried  my  best,  mother. 
I've  tried  to  bear  it  bravely  and  to  rise  above  it  and  not  to  worry,  but 
I  cannot.  I  loved  my  husband  so  until  he  made  me  despise  him.  I 
should  have  done  this  five  years  ago,  only  you  and  father  needed  me. 

"  You've  been  the  dearest  father  and  mother  that  anybody  ever  had 
and  my  being  dead  won't  make  any  difference  in  my  loving  you.  My 
will  is  in  Mr.  Fowler's  vault.  Oh,  mother,  I've  loved  so  much,  I've  tried 
so  hard,  I've  worked  so  hard,  and  I've  failed,  failed,  failed,  failed.  For- 
give me,  please.  With  love  always, 

"  Myrtle." 

McCullough  was  out  of  the  city  at  the  time  of  his  wife's  death. 
Upon  his  return  he  said  that  she  had  probably  taken  her  life  while 
mentally  unbalanced. 

"Have  you  any  comment  to  make  on  the  letter  written  by  your 
wife  to  her  mother?  "  he  was  asked  yesterday. 

"  Oh,  I  could  tell  you  a  long  story  if  I  wanted  to,"  said  he,  carelessly. 
"There's  nothing  to  it  at  all.  I  could  show  you  worse  letters  than 
that.  I  doubt  if  she  ever  wrote  it  anyway.  There  is  no  proof.  To 
understand  this  matter  you  must  know  that  my  wife's  father  and 
her  brother  have  been  fighting  to  get  control  over  her  estate.  They 
didn't  get  enough  to  satisfy  them  under  the  will." 

Although  Judge  Windes  refused  to  depose  McCullough  as  ad- 
ministrator, he  ordered  him  to  make  a  definite  report,  setting  forth 
the  condition  of  the  property,  with  a  list  of  all  disbursements. 
Further,  he  directed  that  McCullough  should  report  from  time  to 
time  as  the  court  might  direct  and  ordered  him  to  give  a  permanent 
bond  of  $50,000.  The  court  said  that  the  trustee's  conduct  had 
been  improper.1 

D.  Indicate  and  correct  the  faults  in  the  following  stories 
(paragraphs  131-134): 

1.    While   Mrs.   Stanley  Barnes  was  making  fruit  salad  at  the 
Baptist  parsonage  Thursday  she  lost  her  wedding  ring  in  it.     Clark 
1  Chicago  Tribune,  July  15,  1915. 


EXERCISES  303 

Webster  was  sick  Friday  morning,  and  for  a  time  it  was  thought 
that  he  had  eaten  it  in  the  salad,  but  a  calmness  was  restored  in 
these  parts  when  it  was  learned  that  she  had  failed  to  put  it  on  when 
leaving  home  in  the  morning. 

2.  Hereafter  it  shall  be  written  by  way  of  simile:    "As  fair  as  a 
Hinsdale  blonde."     Rainwater  is  the  answer.     Rainwater!     Rain- 
water, such  as  used  to  seep  off  the  kitchen  roof  into  the  eave  trough 
and  into  the  barrel  at  the  corner. 

But  the  Hinsdale  water  barrel,  that  has  just  been  completed  and 
now  is  in  operation,  is  no  mere  castoff  sauerkraut  hogshead.  It 
cost  $30,000,  and  it  gives  forth  rainwater  at  a  rate  of  a  million  gal- 
lons a  day.  And  the  dingiest  brunette  will  soon  blossom  out  in  the 
full  glory  of  the  spun-gold  blonde.  The  chemist  person  who  installed 
the  $30,000  rain  barrel  says  so,  and  he  claims  to  know. 

It  was  cited  to  the  women  of  Hinsdale  that  the  women  of  the 
British  Isles  are  fair,  very  fair,  indeed.  What  makes  them  so  fair? 
The  fog.  And  what  is  fog?  It  is  rainwater  in  the  vapor.  Hence 
rainwater  will  make  women  fair.  Let  us,  therefore,  have  rainwater. 

The  water  in  Hinsdale  heretofore  has  been  hard.  It  crinkled  the 
hair  and  put  the  complexion  on  the  bum.  It  cost  more  money  for 
cosmetics  to  set  these  complexions  right  than  a  couple  of  $30,000 
rain  barrels.  But  now  the  seediest  lady  in  the  land  has  only  to 
make  a  pilgrimage  to  Hinsdale  and  return  ready  to  make  faces  at 
the  inventor  of  peroxide. 

3.  Last  week  Tuesday  night  the  henhouse  of  Mr.  Rosenblot,  on 
the  Standard  farm,  was  broken  open  and  14  hens  taken.     Also  at 
the  same  time  five  bags  of  grain  and  two  bags  of  cattle  salt  were 
stolen.     Thursday  night  his  chicken  coops  were  visited  and  about 
40  little  chicks  taken.     Mr.   Rosenblot  expects  his  wife  and  her 
mother  from  Russia  next  week. 

4.  The  feature  of  the  evening  was  the  dance.     Miss  Semple's 
grace  and  ease  in  executing  the  many  intricate  steps  of  the  Argentine 
tango,   hesitation  waltz,   and    other  modern    dances  elicited  great 
applause  from  the  onlookers.     Miss  Sheppard  of  the  District  Nurses' 
Association  gave  a  lecture  on  first  aid  to  the  injured. 

6.  "  Lemme  see  something  nifty  in  shirts  —  something  with  a  classy 
green  stripe,"  said  Dan  McKee  of  Soho  Street,  as  he  cruised  into  the 
men's  furnishing  store  of  Emil  de  Santis,  in  Webster  Avenue.  The 
lone  clerk  evidently  did  not  notice  all  the  specifications  of  McKee's 
order,  and  listlessly  drew  out  at  random  the  first  box  of  shirts  his 
hand  touched.  Picking  the  top  shirt  out,  he  laid  it  before  McKee. 

"There's  something  nice,"  he  began. 


304  NEWS  WRITING 

"Oh,  is  it?"  yelled  McKee. 

"McKee,"  said  Magistrate  Sweeney  at  the  hearing,  "what  on 
earth  made  you  try  to  wreck  that  store?  " 
"I  asked  for  a  green  striped  shirt,  judge." 
"Well?" 

"And  that  fellow  handed  me  a  bright  orange  one." 
"I  see,"  said  Sweeney.     "But  I'll  have  to  make  it  thirty  days." 


E.  The  following  stories,  along  with  other  faults,  are 
lacking  in  tone.  .Correct  them  in  any  way  necessary.  (Para- 
graphs 136-137.) 

1.  The  wedding  bells  peeled  joyfully  at  the  home  of  Mr.  H.  R. 
Drake  last  Tuesday,  when  their  highly  accomplished  and  beautiful 
daughter,  Melva,  became  the  blushing  bride  of  that  sterling  young 
farmer,    Henry    Eastman.     The    bride's    brother,    Charlie,    played 
Mendelssohn's  wedding  march  on  his  cornet,  and  considering  the 
fact  he  has  only  had  it  about  9  months  it  sounded  good.     Rev.  Os- 
good,  who  has  been  working  through  harvest  and  picking  up  a  little 
on  the  side,  performed  the  nuptials.     The  bride's  costume  was  a  sort 
of  light  gauzy  affair  and  white  slippers  and  stockings  to  match.     Of 
course  she  wore  heavier  clothes  when  they  went  on  their  wedding 
trip.     Quite  a  merry  crowd  assembled  to  see  them  off,  and  as  they 
didn't  have  any  rice  some  of  them  got  to  throwing  roasting  ears. 
Henry   was  struck   under  the  eye   by  a  large    ear  and   blacked  it 
pretty  bad.     They  drove  right  to  Larned  and  stayed  all  night  at 
the  hotel,  and  then  took  their  wedding  trip  to  Kinsley  and  Dodge 
City.     They  have  rented  the  old  home  place  and  will  be  at  home 
next  Tuesday.     Melva  expects  to  take  charge  of  Cooper  &  Jones' 
cook  shack  the  rest  of  the  season. 

2.  The  old  must  die,  the  young  sometimes  do.     When  a  young 
child,  sweet  and  gentle  in  temperament,  lovable  and  full  of  promise, 
is  cut  down  in  the  very  hey  time  of  youth,  it  is  unutterably  sad. 
There  is  said  to  be  a  time  for  all  things  and  this  would  seem  to  be  a 
time  for  mourning. 

Sunday  morning  at  4:30  o'clock  the  Death  Angel  summoned 
John  O.  Beck,  Jr.,  and  bade  him  leave  his  playthings  and  many 
friends  and  come  away.  It  must  have  been  with  a  sigh  of  relief 
that  his  spirit  took  flight  from  the  frail  body  which  had  been  tor- 
tured for  twenty-two  long  days  with  the  torture  of  spinal  meningitis. 

John  O.  Beck,  Jr.,  youngest  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  O.  Beck, 
was  born  on  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  July,  1903,  in  Boswell.  He  was 


EXERCISES  305 

the  youngest  of  four  children  —  William,  Leona,  and  La  Baron 
survive  him.  His  was  a  most  beautiful  nature,  he  loved  company, 
and  the  childish  circles  in  which  he  moved  were  always  brighter 
and  happier  for  his  presence.  As  a  member  of  the  Christian  Sun- 
day School  he  was  always  in  his  place.  The  little  boy  will  be  missed, 
not  only  in  the  home,  but  among  his  playmates  and  also  amongst 
the  older  people  of  the  city. 

The  funeral  will  be  held  to-morrow  afternoon  at  3  o'clock  from  the 
family  home.  Dr.  Frank  Talmage,  pastor  of  the  Christian  Church, 
will  officiate.  Interment  will  be  made  in  South  Park. 

3.  After  the  ceremony  the  guests  repaired  to  the  dining-room, 
where  a  wedding  dinner  was  served,  replete  with  the  most  luscious 
viands  conceivable  by  the  human  imagination.     The  turkey,  which 
had  been  roasted  under  the  personal  supervision  of  the  bride,  pos- 
sessed delectability  of  flavor  impossible  of  description.     It  was  the 
unanimous   verdict   of   the   numerous   assemblage   of   appreciative 
guests  that  never  before  in  the  annals  of  human  history  had  a  turkey 
more   delicious,  more  savory,  more  ambrosial,  been   the  object  of 
human  consumption.     Both  the  business  office  and  the  editorial 
rooms  of  the  Standard  were  largely  and  brilliantly  represented,  and 
the  collation  was  interspersed  with  highly  intelligent  affabilities. 
Constant  streams  of  sparkling  repartee  rippled  across  the  table, 
jocund  anecdotes  and  refined  civilities  of  every  variety  abounded, 
the  festivities  in  every  way  being  characterized  by  vivacity,  suavity, 
chivalry,  and  irreproachable  respectability. 

4.  R.  S.  George  had  a  narrow  escape  from  sudden  death  yesterday 
morning.     George  was  working  on  top  of  an  electric  pole  on  Water 
St.  and  Ninth  Ave.     He  was  strapped  to  the  pole.     He  was  removing 
the  bolts  that  held  the  cross-bars.     The  pole  was  rotten  and  George's 
weight  at  the  top  caused  it  to  break.     In  falling  the  pole  hit  the 
supply  wagon  that  was  standing  below,  breaking  the  fall.     Other 
men  working  on  the  job  rushed  to  his  aid.     Dr.  Mitchell  was  called. 
George  was  taken  to  the  Sacred  Heart  Hospital.     Mr.  George  was 
badly  shaken  up  but  not  seriously  injured.     He  is  employed  by  the 
Wisconsin-Minnesota  Light  &  Power  Co. 

6.  Bud  Lanham,  the  Corner's  miser,  who  has  buried  his  money 
for  the  last  six  years  near  the  big  ash  tree  back  of  Gary's  gin,  lost 
half  of  it  last  week.  The  guilty  person  has  not  been  apprehended. 
Tim  Snyder  went  to  Jonesville  yesterday  and  bought  himself  a  fine 
suit  of  clothes  and  a  Ford. 

6.  Mrs.  A.  I.  Epstein,  the  soprano  soloist  from  St.  Louis,  will 
sing  a  symphony  known  as  the  "Surprise  Symphony"  at  the  concert 


306  NEWS  WRITING 

by  the  University  Orchestra  in  the  auditorium  to-morrow  night. 
The  piece  was  written  by  Haydn.  The  symphony  was  so  named  by 
the  composer  on  account  of  the  startling  effects  produced.  The 
solo  part  is  very  unusual,  the  long  pauses  and  unusual  loud  chords 
make  it  unlike  other  music.  It  has  a  pleasing  effect  on  the  audience, 
probably  due  to  its  individuality.  Mrs.  Epstein  has  the  reputation 
of  being  able  to  sing  this  kind  of  a  solo.  The  foremost  critics  of  the 
largest  musical  world  pronounce  Mrs.  Epstein  as  an  ideal  in  ora- 
torical singing. 

7.  Some  jealous  rascal  threw  a  stone  at  a  buggy  in  which  a  certain 
young  man  of  Florala  and  a  young  lady  of  Lockhart  were  riding 
last  Saturday  night.     The  stone  struck  the  young  lady  squarely  in 
the  back,  and  at  the  same  time  bruised  the  left  arm  of  the  young 
man  very  badly. 

8.  Mrs.  O.  N.  ,Daw  is  confined  to  her  bed  on  account  of  the  re- 
cent injury  she  sustained  when  she  fell  from  a  chair  to  the  floor. 
Mrs.  Daw  was  attempting  to  swat  a  fly  at  hand  and  stood  upon  the 
chair  to  reach  the  intended  victim.     He  was  further  away  than  at 
first  anticipated  and  in  an  endeavor  to  reach  him  she  fell  as  a  result 
of  becoming  overbalanced.     We  trust  her  injury  will  soon  give  her 
no  further  trouble  and  will  soon  become  well.     She  certainly  is  to 
be  commended  for  her  efforts  to  swat  the  fly,  for  if  more  of  us  did 
this  we  would  find  less  disease  in  the  world  and  conditions  more 
healthful  in  general.     Besides  the  flies  are  a  bothersome  pest  anyway. 

9.  One  of  the  most  superb  affairs  that  the  citizens  of  Lexington 
have  witnessed  for  quite  a  long  while,  was  brought  to  bear  by  the 
uniting  in  holy  wedlock  of  Mrs.  Mary  Elizabeth  Stewart  and  Mr. 
Louis  Monroe  Ford.     At  the  beginning,  the  day  was  one  of  gloom, 
but  late    in    the   morning   the    clouds   became   scattered,   and   at 
the  noon  hour  the  sun  peeped  out  and  streamed  through  the  win- 
dows of  the  old  historic  church,  adding  cheer  and  enthusiasm  to  the 
superb  occasion.     Each  individual  of  the  bridal  party  performed 
his  or  her  part  as  perfectly  as  if  guided  by  a  guardian  angel,  and  the 
entire  performance  was  one  of  rare  beauty,  portraying  all  of  the 
accuracy  of  a  piece  of  well-oiled  machinery. 

F.  The  following  stories  are  good  and  bad.     Rewrite  any 
that  need  correction.     Show  why  the  others  are  good. 

ACCIDENT   NARROWLY    AVERTED 

Last  Thurdsay  evening  the  people  of  the  beautiful  little  village 
of  Hartford  were  astounded  when  they  heard  the  moan  and  groan 


EXERCISES  307 

of  one  of  their  neighbors,  Dr.  William  Waters,  who  had  the  mis- 
fortune of  being  capsized  beneath  a  small  building  in  the  mad  waters 
of  Pigeon  River. 

While  Dr.  Waters  was  out  for  an  evening  walk  enjoying  the  cool 
breezes  on  the  banks  of  this  beautiful  stream  he  had  occasion  to 
enter  a  small  building  which  had  been  erected  years  ago.  Owing  to 
his  enormous  heavy  weight,  and  without  a  moment's  warning,  the 
building  toppled  over  in  the  river,  leaving  the  doctor  in  quite  an  em- 
barrassing position.  The  moans- and  groans  from  beneath  the  little 
building  could  be  heard  from  most  every  home  in  Hartford.  Had 
it  not  been  for  the  never-tiring  efforts  of  Lewis  Johnson  and  Andy 
Valentine  in  moving  the  building  off  the  Doctor,  rescuing  him  from 
the  grasp  of  death,  which  had  clutched  him  beneath  the  building 
in  the  mad  waters  of  the  river,  crepe  would  now  be  dangling  from 
the  door-knob  of  a  Doctor's  office  in  Hartford. 

TIGHT   SHOES    BALK   PAY-DAY    LARK 

Mrs.  Mary  Bogden,  50  West  ngth  Street,  is  nearly  five  feet  tall 
and  weighs  200  pounds.  Yesterday  she  refused  to  go  out  with  her 
husband,  Joe,  to  celebrate  his  pay  day,  because  her  shoes  were  too 
tight.  Joe  went  out  alone.  When  he  came  home  he  found  his 
wife  had  been  arrested  for  drinking  too  much.  To-day  her  hat  is 
too  tight. 

KILLS   GIRL    WHO  SPURNED    HIM 

Miss  Evelyn  Helm  got  her  position  as  cloak  model  because  of  the 
trimness  of  her  waist,  because  of  her  lithe  young  figure,  and  because 
of  her  loveliness  and  vivacity.  When  she  wore  a  gown  for  a  buyer, 
he  generally  said,  "Some  skirt!"  Therefore  she  received  a  fair 
salary  and  was  independent.  The  same  qualities  that  earned  her 
money,  however,  attracted  the  attentions  of  a  man  she  did  not  like 
—  and  invoked  a  tragedy. 

The  man  was  gray-haired  and  big  and  fat  and  unromantic,  but 
he  loved  the  cloak  model  desperately.  He  told  her  so  every  time 
he  saw  her,  but  she  laughed  at  him.  She  knew  him  as  Lem  Willhide 
"of  Kentucky,"  and  she  tried  to  avoid  him.  He  followed  her  one  day 
to  her  room  in  the  home  of  Mrs.  Louise  Wendt,  1319  Eddy  Street, 
and  invited  himself  to  call.  He  wanted  to  marry  her,  to  take  her 
home  to  the  "blue  grass"  country  with  him,  but  she  could  not  be 
annoyed. 

"I  ought  to  be  calling  you  ' daddy,'"  she  said.     "Why,  you're 


30* 


NEWS  WRITING 


more  than  twice  as  old  as  I.  You've  admitted  you  are  52.  Go  get 
a  nurse  and  let  me  alone." 

He  seemed  to  like  her  spirit.  She  could  not  break  his  determina- 
tion, he  told  her.  He  might  be  old,  but  this  was  his  first  love  affair. 
Again  and  again  she  put  him  off.  Always  he  followed  her,  spied  on 
her,  called  her  by  phone.  She  could  not  escape  him,  but  he  couldn't 
persuade  her  to  wed  him. 

Yesterday  morning  as  usual  he  sent  his  love  message  over  the 
telephone  wires  —  and  the  girl  hung  up  the  receiver  and  she  sneered 
in  an  explanation  to  the  landlady.  Later  she  was  dressing  to  go 
out,  when  the  back  door  of  the  rooming-house  opened  and  the  man 
from  Kentucky  bulged  in  the  doorway. 

"You've  got  your  nerve  coming  into  a  lady's  house  without  ask- 
ing," said  the  girl. 

"I've  come  to  get  you,"  said  the  man. 

"Then  you  better  go  back  again,"  and  the  girl  turned  away. 

The  man  from  Kentucky  drew  a  revolver  and  shot  her  in  the  neck. 
She  looked  up  at  him  from  the  floor,  and  he  fired  four  more  bullets 
into  her  body. 

"If  we  can't  be  wed  in  life,  we'll  marry  in  death,"  the  landlady 
heard  him  say,  and  he  shot  himself  in  the  head. 

Miss  Helm  died  as  the  police  were  carrying  her  into  the  Chicago 
Union  Hospital,  and  the  man  from  Kentucky  died  later  in  the  Alex- 
ian  Brothers'  Hospital.  Before  he  went  he  told  Detective  William 
Rohan  that  he  was  a  tobacco  salesman  and  a  professional  card 
player. 

"I  drew  for  a  queen  to  fill  a  bobtail  flush,"  he  said,  with  a  queer 
smile,  "but  I  didn't  better  my  hand." 

CHAUFFEUR'S   FEET   BURNED   OFF 

Herbert  T.  Middleton  lives  on  Anderson  Avenue,  at  Palisade, 
N.  J.  While  driving  his  automobile  along  the  avenue  he  saw  an 
overturned  car  burst  into  flame  at  the  roadside,  about  half  a  mile 
south  of  Fort  Lee.  Two  men  and  a  boy  were  struggling  to  lift  the 
rear  end  of  the  car,  and  shouting  for  help.  Middleton  hurried  to 
their  aid  and  found  that  the  legs  of  the  chauffeur  were  pinned  to  the 
ground  by  the  back  of  the  rear  seat  and  flaming  gasoline  running 
over  his  limbs  was  burning  him  like  a  torch. 

The  chauffeur,  Amende  Alberti,  32  years  old,  raised  himself  to 
a  sitting  posture  and  tried  to  direct  the  efforts  of  his  rescuers.  With 
the  aid  of  another  autoist  and  several  drivers  of  passing  wagons, 


EXERCISES  309 

they  finally  got  Albert!  free.  The  burning  gasoline  had  spread 
upward  to  his  body.  It  was  smothered  by  rolling  the  man  in  lap 
robes  from  the  cars. 

Dr.  Max  Wyley  of  Englewood  Hospital,  who  came  with  an  am- 
bulance, found  that  the  chauffeur's  feet  had  been  almost  burned 
off,  and  the  burning  fluid  had  seared  his  limbs  and  body  as  far  as 
his  chest.  At  the  hospital  Doctor  Proctor  assisted  Doctor  Wyley 
in  an  effort  to  keep  him  alive.  They  decided  he  had  one  chance  in 
five  of  living.  If  he  survives  he  will  be  a  cripple. 

BLAMES   ALL  ON    WOMAN  HE   KILLED 

"The  woman  Thou  gavest  me  tempted  me  and  I  did  eat."  — 
Adam,  thousands  of  centuries  ago. 

Shortly  after  the  world  began,  Adam  sinned  —  and  blamed  a 
woman.  What  Adam  did  in  fear  of  God,  a  twentieth-century 
Adam  did  yesterday  in  Chicago  —  blamed  a  woman. 

Here  is  the  story: 

Attache's  of  a  saloon  and  cafe"  at  714  North  Clark  Street  were 
startled  early  yesterday  afternoon  by  revolver  shots  just  outside 
the  door.  Rushing  into  an  alley  at  the  rear,  they  found  the  bodies 
of  a  man  and  a  woman. 

The  man  was  Washington  Irving  Morley,  son  of  a  wealthy  con- 
tractor of  Kansas  City.  The  woman  was  Mrs.  May  Whitney, 
29  years  old,  cabaret  singer  and  mother  of  a  3-year-old  child. 

As  they  picked  the  bodies  up,  a  letter  dropped  from  the  man's 
coat.  It  told  everything  that  need  be  told  about  the  dead  man, 
the  dead  woman,  and  the  dead  man's  deed. 

It  was  addressed  "To  Anybody,"  and  read: 

This  is  an  awful  deed,  but  this  woman  is  and  has 
been  ten  thousand  times  worse  than  the  vampire  of 
fiction,  and  may  God  have  mercy  on  her  soul  and 
mine.  Yes,  I  guess  I  am  crazy  and  have  been  for  a 
year,  but  she  has  driven  me  to  it.  I  left  her  in  K.  C., 
but  she  followed  me  to  Chicago  and  then  to  Green 
Bay  and  all  over. 

But  it  is  too  late  to  cry  about  our  mistakes. 

I  have  had  my  chances,  but  I  have  thrown  them  all 
away.  Oh,  if  I  had  only  taken  the  advice  years  ago 
of  that  grandest  of  all  men,  my  father.  But  I  let  the 
three  W's  get  me  —  wine,  women,  and  w  —  .  But, 
young  men,  remember,  do  not  get  infatuated  with  a 


310  NEWS  WRITING 

woman  of  doubtful  character.  They  never  can  lead  to 
anything  good. 

I  have  had  my  fling,  but  now  I  am  going  to  the 
great  beyond  and  I'm  going  to  take  the  creature  with 
me  that  has  caused  me  more  bad  luck,  heartaches,  and 
everything  else.  I  cannot  live  with  her  and  I  cannot 
live  without  her. 

Good-by  all.  W.  S.  Morley. 

P.  S.  —  My  belongings  are  all  in  her  trunk,  which  is 
at  Spangenberg's.  I  think  her  mother's  address  is  123 
Pinckney  Street,  Somerville,  Mass.,  Mrs.  D.  T.  Whitney. 

The  bodies  were  taken  to  Gavin  &  Son's  undertaking  rooms.  There 
a  second  letter  was  found  in  the  man's  pocket.  It  was  addressed  to 
his  father,  P.  J.  Morley,  in  Kansas  City,  and  read  as  follows: 

You  no  doubt  will  be  horrified,  but  I  couldn't  help 
it.  I  have  "been  crazy  for  a  year,  and  this  woman  has 
driven  me  to  it.  You  have  been  the  grandest  father 
in  the  world  to  me,  and  if  only  I  had  taken  your  advice, 
what  a  change  it  would  have  made  in  my  life!  But  it 
is  too  late.  Good-by,  and  may  God  have  mercy  on  my 
soul.  Yours, 

Irving. 

P.  S.  —  Father,  if  you  want  to  do  anything,  take 
care  of  that  boy  in  Hamburg,  Iowa.  He  will  be  some 
boy  if  he  doesn't  inherit  too  many  of  his  parents'  bad 
faults. 

Until  recently  Morley  was  a  partner  in  the  expressing  firm  of 
Ryan  &  Morley,  Fifth  Avenue  and  Randolph  Street. 

SLAIN   IN    FIGHT   ON    BRIDGE 

A  horrified  crowd  to-day  saw  a  fight  sixty  feet  in  the  air  on  an 
arch  of  the  new  high-level  bridge  over  the  Cuyahoga  River  in  which 
Frank  Wright,  storekeeper  for  the  bridge  contractors,  was  killed  by 
a  fellow  workman  with  an  iron  bar.  The  killing  was  witnessed  by 
Wright's  wife,  who  was  making  her  Way  up  to  him  with  his  lunch. 
Police  have  arrested  Jack  Browning  in  connection  with  the  crime. 
The  killing  was  preceded  by  a  grim  struggle  in  which  the  two  men 
wrestled  back  and  forth  on  the  arch  and  both  nearly  fell  into  the 
river  several  times.  After  Wright  had  been  slain  his  assailant 
jumped  from  platform  to  platform  until  he  reached  the  ground  and 
then  fled. 


EXERCISES  311 

AGED   MAN    GAINS   HEART'S   DESIRE 

Joseph  Stang  has  gained  his  heart's  desire.     He  is  dead. 

For  Joseph  Stang  death  drew  aside  its  mask  of  horror  and  re- 
vealed itself  the  fair  prize  and  ultimate  reward  of  mankind,  im- 
partially awaiting  the  winners  and  losers  in  life.  And  the  aged  man 
pursued  it  for  a  year  with  patient  resolution,  undiverted  by  the  in- 
consequential parade  of  the  world's  affairs. 

During  the  last  year  Mr.  Stang,  who  was  81  years  old,  and  a  re- 
tired real-estate  man,  living  with  an  invalid  wife  at  4855  North 
Paulina  Street,  made  three  ineffectual  attempts  to  commit  suicide. 
His  first  effort  was  discovered  before  he  had  succeeded  in  injuring 
himself.  On  Oct.  30  he  sent  a  bullet  into  his  brain  in  his  bedroom. 
Persons  in  the  household  ran  to  him  and  found  him  lying  on  the 
floor,  the  revolver  beside  him.  He  was  placed  on  the  bed,  and 
during  the  excitement  of  telephoning  for  an  ambulance  and  a 
physician,  the  members  of  the  household  left  him  alone,  believing 
him  unconscious,  if  not  dead.  He  got  out  of  bed  and  crawled  to  his 
revolver,  which  had  been  picked  up  and  placed  on  the  bureau. 
Then  he  fired  another  shot  over  his  heart. 

He  was  taken  to  the  hospital,  where  his  wounds,  although  both 
in  vital  parts,  healed  rapidly,  and  he  was  soon  discharged.  Because 
of  his  infirmities  and  the  illness  of  his  wife  he  was  later  taken  to  the 
German-American  Hospital  to  be  cared  for. 

Saturday  morning  he  told  his  nurse  that  he  was  tired  of  life.  She 
cajoled  him  into  a  better  humor,  however,  and  he  ate  three  hearty 
meals  during  the  day.  Shortly  after  supper  he  was  left  alone  in 
his  room.  He  went  to  his  window,  which  overlooks  a  cemented 
court  twenty  feet  below,  and  dived  out,  striking  on  his  head.  He 
was  dead  within  a  few  minutes. 

Physicians  at  the  hospital  declare  that  Mr.  Stang  must  have  cal- 
culated his  jump  carefully,  as  a  falling  body  would  not  strike  head 
first  unless  by  design. 

DARK   STREETS    MAKE    THREE    ESCAPES    POSSIBLE 

Policemen  on  posts  in  the  Bronx  have  frequently  complained  to 
their  superior  officers  because  the  turning  off  of  street  lights  before 
daylight  often  gives  burglars  and  other  criminals  an  hour  or  more  of 
heavy  darkness  in  which  to  carry  on  their  operations  unmolested. 
The  most  emphatic  of  such  complaints  was  made  yesterday  morning, 
after  three  burglars  had  escaped  from  pursuit  at  4:30  A.M. 


312  NEWS  WRITING 

According  to  the  policemen  who  attempted  to  capture  the  men, 
all  of  the  lights  in  the  Bronx  were  out  at  the  time  and  heavy  clouds 
made  the  streets  black  as  midnight  in  a  country  village.  The  police- 
men attributed  the  escape  of  the  burglars  entirely  to  the  darkness. 
Not  only  did  the  men  escape,  but  they  fired  revolvers  at  the  police- 
men and  narrowly  missed  one  of  them,  who  heard  the  bullet  as  it 
passed  his  head. 

Sergeant  Hale  and  Policeman  Regen  of  the  Morrisania  Station 
were  standing  in  Westchester  Avenue  near  Union  Avenue  shortly 
before  4:30  o'clock,  when  they  heard  the  crashing  of  a  pane  of  glass. 
They  ran  to  Union  Avenue  in  time  to  see  the  dim  shadows  of  three 
men  running  from  the  corner.  The  two  policemen  shouted  to  the 
men  to  stop  and  fired  their  revolvers,  but  the  fugitives,  returning 
the  fire  over  their  shoulders,  darted  down  Union  Avenue,  separated, 
and  disappeared  into  apartment  house  doors. 

Policemen  Rooney  and  O'Connell,  who  were  several  blocks  away, 
heard  the  shots  and  ran  to  the  scene.  The  alarm  was  sent  to  the 
precinct  station,  and  while  the  four  policemen  were  following  the 
burglars  into  the  apartment  houses,  the  reserves  were  hurrying  to 
their  assistance. 

Hale  and  Regen  surprised  one  of  the  men  on  a  roof  and  opened 
fire  on  him,  but,  as  far  as  they  could  tell  in  the  inky  darkness,  he 
was  not  hit.  As  he  fled  to  the  roof  of  an  adjoining  house  he  fired  at 
the  policemen,  and  Hale  could  tell  from  its  sound  that  the  bullet 
passed  within  a  few  inches  of  his  head.  The  man  disappeared  into 
the  darkness,  and  the  policemen  were  unable  to  find  him  again. 

Other  policemen  followed  the  other  two  burglars,  the  reserves 
surrounded  the  block,  and  many  of  those  living  in  the  neighbor- 
hood who  were  aroused  from  sleep  by  the  revolver  shots,  joined  in 
the  hunt;  but  the  trail  of  none  of  the  fugitives  was  picked  up.  It 
was  so  dark,  the  searchers  said,  that  they  were  not  able  to  see  more 
than  a  few  feet  ahead  of  them  at  any  time.  All  agreed  that  the 
burglars  probably  hid  almost  under  the  noses  of  those  who  were 
looking  for  them,  for  every  roof,  alley  and  possible  hiding  place  in 
the  block  was  searched  as  carefully  as  was  practicable  undej  the 
conditions. 

The  men  had  thrown  a  brick  through  the  window  in  the  jewelry 
store  of  M.  Baldwin,  at  Westchester  and  Union  Avenues.  They 
snatched  about  $100  worth  of  novelty  objects  from  the  window, 
but  dropped  all  of  them  in  their  flight.  The  property  was  later 
picked  up  from  the  street. 

Many  complaints  have  come  to  the  New  York  Crescent  from  all 


EXERCISES  313 

over  the  city  because  there  is  often  an  hour  or  more  of  darkness 
between  the  time  of  turning  out  street  lights  and  daylight.  The 
lighting  companies,  it  is  said,  are  within  the  law  of  their  contracts 
with  the  city. 

CHAPTER  XI 

Indicate  the  places  at  which  paragraphs  should  be  made 
in  the  following  stories: 

CHARACTER    INDICATED    BY    THE    LIPS 

To  all  daughters  of  Eve  who  have  leap-year  intentions,  the  voca- 
tional guide  and  well-known  bachelor,  William  J.  Kibby,  to-day 
offers  advice  concerning  the  habits,  characteristics,  and  dispositions 
of  various  sorts  of  men,  which  is  intended  to  help  the  girls  win  their 
hearts*  desires  without  suffering  rebuff  in  the  process.  A  good  deal 
of  what  Kibby  says  is  based  upon  phrenology.  A  man  who  has  thin, 
straight  lips  is  branded  a  cold-blooded,  stony-hearted  creature  upon 
whom  the  dearest  girl's  appeal  would  have  no  effect.  This  sort  of 
man  will  do  his  own  proposing,  run  his  own  wedding,  and  rule  his 
household;  and  he'll  do  it  more  with  his  head  than  with  his  heart. 
But  if  the  man  of  your  choice  has  full,  well-formed  lips,  Kibby  says 
you  may  depend  upon  his  capacity  for,  and  inclination  to,  love.  He 
also  is  susceptible  to  the  right  sort  of  feminine  approach.  Kibby 
says  the  way  to  tell  whether  the  one  you  love,  loves  you,  is  by  the 
coloring  of  the  under  lip  when  he  is  with  you.  Every  human  emo- 
tion gives  some  physical  demonstration  when  it  is  aroused.  The 
evidence  that  love  has  been  aroused  is  given  by  the  deep  crimson- 
ing of  the  under  lip.  If  his  under  lip  is  perpetually  pale  when  he  is 
with  you,  he  doesn't  love  you.  If  it  is  crimson  and  you  want  him, 
grab  quick;  he  won't  run.  A  man  with  a  broad,  square,  massive 
forehead  is  a  good  business  man;  he  can  plan  ahead,  has  good  busi- 
ness judgment.  If  the  crown  of  his  head  is  high  and  round  he  is 
absolutely  conscientious,  too;  and  if  the  back  of  his  head  is  well 
rounded  out  he  will  love  his  home,  his  wife,  and  his  children  and 
show  them  consideration  above  everything  else  in  the  world.  The 
man  whose  head  is  flat  on  top,  flat  and  almost  even  with  his  ears  in 
the  back  and  narrow  and  foreshortened  on  the  front;  whose  lips  are 
thin,  whose  eyes  are  cold,  will  not  make  a  good  husband  in  any  sense 
of  the  word,  says  Kibby.  The  longer  a  man's  jaw-bone,  the  greater 
his  capacity  for  affection,  according  to  Kibby.  All  these  things 
are  as  applicable  to  women  as  to  men,  is  the  expert's  opinion. 


314  NEWS  WRITING 

FASHION    MODEL    MARRIES    ALL    IN    BLACK 

A  black  wedding,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  ceremonies  ever 
performed  in  this  country  and  one  which  made  even  blase  New  York 
sit  up  and  stare,  was  celebrated  at  the  Church  of  St.  Vincent  de 
Paul  here  to-day.  It  was  completely  black,  and  the  first  wedding 
of  its  kind  ever  planned  made  the  little  fashion  model,  Eleanor 
Klinger,  the  bride  of  Ora  Cne,  a  designer.  From  the  limousine  in 
which  they  threaded  their  way  among  the  skyscrapers  to  the  little 
church  in  Twenty-third  Street  to  the  handles  on  the  silver  service 
at  their  wedding  breakfast,  everything  down  to  the  most  minute 
detail  was  coal  black.  Even  the  serving  men  were  black;  and  every- 
one with  any  part  in  the  ceremony  wore  black,  including  black  gloves. 
As  the  big  black  car  whirled  up  to  the  curb  at  9  o'clock,  the  driver, 
who  had  a  black  mustache,  twisted  the  black  handle  on  the  door 
and  out  popped  the  little  bride  and  groom.  They  were  dressed  in 
black  from  head  to  foot.  Cne,  a  handsome,  stocky  young  fellow, 
a  little  below  medium  height,  wore  a  single-breasted  black  broad- 
cloth suit,  cut  business  style  and  fitting  close.  His  collar  was  black 
and  his  string  tie  and  black  silk  shirt  blended  into  his  black  vest. 
The  little  bride,  tripping  across  the  sidewalk  with  her  soon-to-be, 
wore  black  silk  slippers,  a  black  silk  dress  sparingly  overlaid  with 
black  chiffon.  Her  wedding  veil  was  a  broad  strip  of  black  silk 
edged  and  overlaid  with  black  tulle,  ending  in  large  bows.  This 
wedding  veil  and  train  are  detachable,  "so,"  as  the  bridegroom  ex- 
plained, "it  can  be  used  either  for  morning  or  evening."  The  bride's 
corsage  bouquet  was  of  black  pansies.  After  the  ceremony  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Cne  sped  to  their  black  wedding  breakfast  at  the  Cne 
apartment  in  Forty-third  Street.  There  Cne's  black  valet  served 
black  coffee,  black  bread,  black  butter  (dyed),  black  bass,  black 
raisins,  and  blackberries.  The  breakfast  room  was  in  black  and 
white,  with  ebony  furniture  and  black  rugs.  The  silver  service, 
from  coffee  set  to  teaspoons,  was  fitted  with  dull  finished  ebony 
handles.  The  porcelain  service  was  black  with  an  edging  of  white. 
Cne  and  his  bride  will  begin  a  tour  of  the  larger  cities  of  the  country 
with  their  visit  to  Philadelphia  Friday,  where  Cne  will  address  the 
Teachers'  Institute  of  Domestic  Science.  Later  they  will  go  to 
Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  Cne's  home  town,  and  to  Omaha,  Minneapolis, 
Nashville,  Pittsburgh,  Kansas  City  and  later  to  the  West  Coast.1 

1  Kansas  City  Star,  January  21.  1917. 


EXERCISES  315 


CHAPTER    XII 

A.  The  following  sentences  contain  pronouns  incorrectly 
used.  Indicate  and  correct  the  faults  in  each  sentence. 
(Paragraphs  147-149.) 

1.  While  Bill  Knight  was  riding  a  bucking  horse  at  his  store 
Saturday  he  got  beyond  control  and  ran  against  the  house  and  caused 
concussion  of  the  brain  and  they  had  to  kill  it. 

2.  This  lunchroom  cookery  goes  on  during  the  second  and  third 
hours  of  the  morning,  at  the  end  of  which  each  member  of  the  class 
is  expected  to  have  their  respective  duties  done  and  ready  to  put 
in  the  steam  table  for  lunch. 

3.  The  management  of  the   Majestic  Theater  are  preparing  to 
put  up  a  number  of  lights  down  to   the  theater.     This  will  be  a 
permanent  fixture  and  will  be  very  beautiful.     It  is  to  be  known  as 
the  Great  White  Way. 

4.  One  difference  between  a  man  and  a  mule  is  that  when  a  mule 
turns  his  back  on  a  man,  he  is  in  the  most  danger. 

5.  They  passed  through  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  and  the  northern 
parts  of  North  Dakota  and  South  Dakota,  and  after  reaching  Mon- 
tana they  visited  many  different  parts  of  it.     One  evening  they 
took  their  suppers  and  ate  on  the  Rocky  Mountains  which  will  never 
be  forgotten  by  the  parties. 

6.  Each  of  the  visitors  will  be  requested  to  tell  of  his  or  her  most 
humorous  experience  as  a  teacher;    also  the  most  important  prob- 
lem which  they  have  met  with  since  they  became  teachers. 

7.  It  would  not  be  right,  after  their  work  in  trying  to  bring  all 
nations  into  universal  peace,  for  the  United  States,  in  the  first  case 
of  this  kind,  to  turn  against  its  own  policies  and  not  listen  to  the 
appeal  of  the  South  American  countries  to  arbitrate  the  dispute 
for  them. 

8.  Last  night  I  sat  in  a  gondola  on  Venice's  Grand  Canal,  drink- 
ing it  all  in,  and  life  never  seemed  so  full  before. 

9.  Tom  Wilkinson  happened  to  a  very  serious  accident  this  week 
in  trying  to  put  grease  on  his  mule  to  keep  off  the  flies.     The  mule 
became  frightened  and  jumped,  causing  him   a  fractured  rib  and 
dislocated  shoulder. 

10.  The  members  of  Kappa  Beta  sorority   attended  the  funeral 
of  Mrs.  Owen,  at  Benton  yesterday,  the  mother  of  Miss  Anne  Owen 
of  Allgood  College  and  a  member  of  the  sorority  who  died  Sunday. 


316  NEWS  WRITING 

11.  Driggs,  our  popular  druggist,  was  covered  with  dirt  Saturday 
while  putting  up  a  stovepipe,  some  of  which  lodged  in  his  eye,  giving 
him  much  pain. 

12.  Cornell's  first  touchdown  was  made  after  less  than  five  min- 
utes of  play.     They  took  the  kick-off  and  with  Barrett  and  Collins 
making  long  gains  on  every  plunge  through  the  line,  the  ball  was 
carried  straight  to  a  touchdown. 

13.  Miss  Janet  Hearn,  who  went  to  Marquette  and  is  going  to 
Carroll  also,  suggested  that  each  girl  wear  a  white  chrysanthemum 
tied  with  blue  ribbon  when  they  go  to  Waukesha. 

14.  The  bride  entered  the  drawing-room  on  the  arm  of  her  father, 
who  wore  a  gown  of  white  charmeuse  satin,  trimmed  in  Venetian 
point  lace,  and  with  veil  of  the  same. 

15.  Either  every  one  is  traveling  in  Italy  these  days  or  else  they 
have  much  less  accommodation  than  usual. 

16.  The  Du  Pont  Company  is  building  four  lines  at  their  works 
near  this  city  and  more  than  1,000  men  are  now  employed. 

17.  Birds  with  beautiful  long  tail  feathers  that  had  traveled  hun- 
dreds of  miles  from  the  warm  countries  of  Africa  sat  on  their  perches 
looking  homesick  for  their  native  forests. 

18.  When  pulling  out  for  Glen  Haven  with  the  freight  wagon 
Thursday  morning,  Norm  Watriss  was  notified  by  pedestrians  on 
the  street  that  his  nose  was  frozen.     He  gave  up  the  trip,  after  ex- 
plaining that  it  had  started  to  freeze  three  times  that  morning. 

19.  The  Main  Street  Methodist  Church,  at  Salisbury,  N.  C.,  has 
given  their  pastor,  Rev.  C.  F.  Sherrill,  a  hearty  welcome. 

20.  It  certainly  will  reduce  the  number  of  serious  accidents  in  the 
way  of  people  being  run  over,  which  all  desire  to  see. 

21.  Suspecting  that  Patterson  had  planned  his  getaway,  Foster 
ran  to  a  point  on  the  street  where  he  knew  he  would  intercept  him 
as  he  emerged  from  the  alley.     Both  met  about  the  same  time. 

22.  Len  French  returned  Wednesday  evening  and  is  greatly  im- 
proved since  his  accident.     He  was  kicked  by  a  horse  about  two 
weeks  ago  in  the  face.     We  are  glad  that  it  did  not  leave  a  scar. 

23.  Besides  Johnson  and  Wingers,  the  detectives  found  two  half- 
dollars  which  only  a  little  while  before  had  been  removed  from  the 
mold.     When  taken  to  Central  police  station  the  two  would  have 
nothing  to  say. 

24.  Jack  Murphy  threatens  to  sue  the  Milwaukee  Railroad  for 
damages  sustained  when  he  alleges  a  trunk  was  thrown  out  upon 
him  the  first  of  the  week  from  a  Milwaukee  train  at  their  station, 
which  confined  him  to  his  bed,  he  avers. 


EXERCISES  317 

B.   Correct  the  verbs  in  the  following  sentences  (para- 
graphs 150-153): 

1.  An   eighteen-year-old   girl    with   four   younger   brothers   and 
sisters  were  arraigned  in  court  this  morning  charged  with  running 
an  illicit  distillery. 

2.  Ah  elaborate  series  of  special  devotions  always  take  place  at 
this  season  in  Roman  Catholic  and  Episcopal  parishes. 

3.  All  the  party  had  expected  to  have  got  to  the  theater  in  time 
by  starting  from  the  house  at  7:45. 

4.  Every  one  of  the  824  people  who  have  been  married  in  Ap- 
pleton  by  Dr.  John  Faville  during  the  twenty-one  years  he  has  been 
pastor  of   the  Congregational  church   have  been  invited  to  attend 
services  at  the  church  next  Sunday. 

5.  In  point  of  attendance  it  was  the  largest  meeting  the  associa- 
tion has  ever  held,  sixty-four  members  having  been  present,  repre- 
senting every  part  of  the  country. 

6.  The  owners  of  the  building  wish  to  truly  thank  all  the  men  who 
were  good  enough  to  so  kindly  give  their  time  and  means  in  the  city's 
cause. 

7.  Then  running  up  Main  Street  comes  the  woman's  entrance, 
woman's  boudoir,  lounge,  men's  entrance,  buffet,  and  a  shop. 

8.  Suits  made-to-order  can  be  detected  at  a  glance  from  the  ready- 
made  kind,  and  a  glance  at  these  suitings  will  prove  that  there  is  no 
such  qualities  to  be  found  in  ready-made  suits. 

9.  Obtaining  a  warrant  two  days  beforehand,  Officer  Lord  was 
ready  for  any  emergency. 

10.  After  being  put  to  bed,  the  hospital  notified  the  West  Lake 
street  police  of  the  man's  presence  there. 

11.  The  old  Populistic  following  that  has  been  Bryan's  strength 
in  the  past  have  been  told  by  him  over  and  over  again  that  they 
have  no  quarrel  with  this  administration. 

12.  During  the  first  six  months  of  this  year  there  was  exported 
to   the   United   States  and   American  possessions  from   Hamburg, 
Luebeck,  and  Kiel  goods  to  the  value  of  $1,153,000. 

13.  Being  tried  three  times  already  for  the  same  offense,  he  could 
not  expect  clemency  now. 

14.  Thomas  admitted  that  he  was  intending  to  seriously  propose 
a  bill  forbidding  women  wearing  short  or  close-fitting  skirts. 

15.  He  had  worked  the  play  only  four  times  before  he  had  been 
caught  the  second  time. 

16.  The  large  number  of  carp  in  the  Fox  River  this  year  have 


3i8  NEWS  WRITING 

caused  a  number  of  local  men  to  become  interested  in  establishing 
a  fish  cannery  at  Appleton. 

17.  Neither  the  amount  of  the  bonus  or  the  salary  were  men- 
tioned by  Comiskey  or  Ban  Johnson. 

18.  Entering  the  historic  church  a  scene  of  havoc  and  ruin  is 
presented  —  twisted  beams  and  arches,  panels  and  columns  of  ala- 
baster crushed  into  bits  and  lying  around  in  heaps,  the  richly  carved 
pulpit  blown  to  pieces  with  only  a  faint  outline  of  its  former  wonders 
remaining. 

C.  The  following  sentences  illustrate  faults  in  coordina- 
tion and  subordination.  Correct  the  errors.  (Mainly  para- 
graphs 154-155.) 

1.  John  Miller  had  the  misfortune  to  fall  on  the  ice  Friday  and 
break  his  wooden  leg.     This  will  lay  Mr.  Miller  up  for  some  time 
as  the  limb  will  have  to  be  sent  away  for  repairs  or  perhaps  neces- 
sitates his  buying  an  entirely  new  leg. 

2.  Strict  attention  to  business,  courteous  treatment  of  those  with 
whom  he  comes  in  contact  both  in  a  business  and  social  way,  and 
always  mindful  of  the  interests  of  his  employer,  are  qualifications 
fitting  Mr.  De  Baufer  as  the  logical  successor  to  Mr.  Dodge. 

3.  Mr.  Kennedy  was  destroying  some  tanglefoot  fly  paper  that 
had  been  used  by  burning  same  near  the  building,  and  the  wind  had 
blown  a  spark  into  a  rat  hole  and  the  draft  brought  the  fire  up  inside 
the  studding  and  was  hard  to  get  at,  but  was  put  out  by  the  chemicals 
and  no  damage  done  to  the  building. 

4.  Work  of  constructing  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  hotel  costing  $1,175,000 
and  which  will  provide  1,865  rooms  for  young  men  starting  a  busi- 
ness life,  was  begun  here  to-day. 

5.  "Three  regrettable  things  were  done  by  the  legislature,"  said 
President  Charles  B.  Rogers,  Alumni  association:    "One  was  the 
creation  of  the  central  board  of  education,  dormitory  appropria- 
tions were  repealed,  the  tuition  for  nonresidents  was  raised." 

6.  While  Mr.  William   Conklin  was  exercising  his  old  pet  horse 
recently,  he  slipped  on  the  ice,  giving  the  horse  a  chance  to  turn 
and  kick  him  in  the  face,  whereby  a  few  stitches  had  to  be  taken, 
but  now  is  quite  comfortable. 

7.  I  was  on  the  News  when  Donovan  was  on  the  Journal  and  in 
'87  launched  my  history  of  the  People's  Party,  against  which  the 
entire  press  was  arrayed,  save  the  Staats-Zeitung,  Hessing's  paper, 
and  which  won  out  against  the  Law  and  Order  party  by  a  majority 
of  10,500. 


EXERCISES  319 

8.  Some  one  entered  the  cellar  at  the  O.  L.  Paris  home  last  week 
and  stole  about  a  peck  of  pickles.     Mr.  Paris  says  that  if  the  pickles 
are  returned  or  paid  for  he  will  refrain  from  publishing  the  name  on 
an  envelope  found  in  his  cellar  and  supposed  to  have  been  dropped 
by  the  thief. 

9.  Mrs.  Bordy  is  an  attractive  brunette  while  the  groom  is  con- 
nected with  the  Central  Savings  Bank  and  Trust  Company. 

10.  The  difference  in  the  size  of  the  schools  is  another  cause  of 
the  weakness,  Oxford  being  the  largest  and  seems  to  want  proper 
control. 

11.  She  married  Pancho  Villa  when  he  was  a  bandit  and  now  has 
two  automobiles,  a  great  many  diamonds,  and  a  fine  home  near  the 
palace. 

12.  Uncle  Russ  Brown  and  wife  were  in  town  and  visited  the 
doctor  and  had  a  tooth  pulled  and  also  had  one  of  his  wife's  teeth 
pulled. 

13.  When  Mrs.  Albert  Truskey  of  this  city  with  her  sister  Mrs. 
Louise  Schwendlund  of  Appleton  went  to  visit  their  mother  who  is 
seriously  ill  at  the  home  of  her  son,  John  Beckett,  in  De  Pere  last 
Wednesday,  they  were  greeted  by  another  sister  who,  it  is  alleged 
to  have  started  a  fracas  in  which  one  sister  is  said  to  have  slapped 
the  other  in  the  face. 

14.  Mr.  Rounds  underwent  an  operation  upon  his  arm  about  a 
month  ago  and   which   physicians   claim   to  have   been  perfectly 
successful. 

15.  Albert  Johns  upon  interfering  pushed  the  two  visiting  sisters 
out  of  the  house,  was  arrested  and  later  released  upon  furnishing  a 
bond  for  $300  to  keep  the  peace. 

16.  He  was  crossing  the  trestle  and  when  seeing  a  freight  coming, 
and  being  desirous  of  crossing  the  track  before  it  came,  he  hurried 
across,  and  slipped,  his  foot  falling  between  one  of  the  cross-ties. 
He  managed  to  extricate  his  leg  from  the  tie,  but  lost  his  balance 
and  the    other  foot  slipped,   precipitating    himself    in  his  former 
dangerous   predicament,   and   narrowly   escaped   being   crushed   to 
death  under  the  train,  as  he  finally  succeeded  in  freeing  himself  and 
jumped  across  the  side  just  as  the  big  freight  came  down  the  track. 

17.  Yesterday  afternoon  the  ladies  of  St.  Mary's  Guild  gave  at 
Fulrath's  Opera  House  one  of  the  most  successful  dances  ever  held 
in  Savannah.     Successful  not  only  financially  but  also  from  society 
and  an  enjoyable  point  of  view. 

18.  People  with  gray  eyes  are  superficial,  frivolous,  given  to  em- 
brace false  idols,  running  down  blind  alleys,  following  false  prophets, 


320  NEWS  WRITING 

thoughtless,  inconsiderate,  wanting  in  sympathy,  neurotic,  unstable, 
not  firm  and  deliberate,  but  rash  and  impetuous. 

19.  Mrs.    Berkinshaw    was   handsome   in   pale    blue    hand-em- 
broidered crepe  with  a  hat  of  black  velvet  trimmed  with  white  os- 
preys  and  carried  a  French  bouquet  of  violets  and  pink  roses. 

20.  The  seat  sale  for  Fiske  O'Hara's  play  at  the  theatre  next  Friday 
evening  is  progressing  very  rapidly,  nothing  but  $1.00  and  $1.50 
seats  being  left  and  a  great  many  of  the  $1.00  seats  have  been  sold. 

21.  Grace  Marshall,   confined  a  prisoner  in  her  father's  home 
near  St.  Michael's,  Md.,  for  twelve  years,  and  who  is  being  treated 
at  the  Henry  Phipps  Clinic,  is  improving  physically,  but  will  never 
fully  recover  her  mental  faculties,  according  to  Dr.  Lewis  A.  Sexton 
of  the  hospital. 

D.  The  following  sentences  contain  errors  due  principally 
to  faulty  ellipsis.  v  Point  out  the  faults  in  ellipsis  and  correct 
all  errors.  (Mainly  paragraph  156.) 

1.  Marvin    Cloudt   and    Ferdinand   Willie   attended   the   dance 
Tuesday  night  at  Mrs.  Jamie  Kanak's,  and  hear  they  enjoyed  it 
well  and  caught  themselves  nice  sweethearts. 

2.  The  Leyland  liner  Armenian  was  torpedoed  and  sunk  on  June 
28  by  a  German  submarine.     The  vessel  was  carrying  1,414  mules, 
which  were  consigned  for  the  port  of  Avonmouth.     A  large  number 
of  the  missing  are  American  citizens. 

3.  Specimens  of  all  our  students  are  preserved  and  show  remark- 
able results  in  this  department  of  our  school  work. 

4.  Please  inform  your  readers  there  is  a  reward  of  $10  for  shooting 
pelicans,  and  a  fine  of  $25  for  the  shooter. 

5.  All  veterans  attending  on  the  regular  old  soldiers'  and  settlers' 
day  next  Tuesday  may  secure  tickets  for  themselves,  wives,  or  wid- 
ows which  will  admit  them  free  of  charge  on  Wednesday. 

6.  He  complained  to  his  physician  that  he  stuffed  him  so  much 
with  drugs  that  he  was  ill  a  long  time  after  he  got  well. 

7.  William  Kohasky  and  Henry  Young,  two  young  chaps,  were 
friends,  but  last  evening  after  imbibing  freely  from  the  cup  that 
cheers  forgot  all  about  their  friendliness  and  started  to  fight. 

8.  The  person  retaining  my  dog,  a  Lewellen  setter,  is  known  and 
if  not  let  at  liberty  at  once,  will  be  prosecuted. 

9.  Daughter  and  granddaughter  of  soldiers,  her  father  was  on 
MacMahon's  staff,  and  the  image  of  that  tall  old  man  stretched  out 
before  her  evoked  in  her  mind  another  image  no  less  terrible. 


EXERCISES  321 

10.  If  you  do  use  a  Blank  typewriter  you  will  never  be  incon- 
venienced without  one. 

11.  Frank  Becker  had  a  horse  break  its  leg  Sunday  and  had  to  be 
killed. 

12.  An  all  university  team  picked  from  the  best  bowlers  in  school 
will  be  entered  in  the  state  tournament  this  winter  for  the  first  time 
and  will  bowl  against  nearly  300  other  teams  at  9  o'clock  on  Jan.  28 
on  the  Colonial  alleys. 

13.  The  Woman's  Benevolent  Society  of  the  Fourth  Congrega- 
tional Church  has  been  newly  decorated,  new  lights  installed,  the 
matting  donated  by  the  Philathea  class  in  place,  and  all  in  readiness 
for  "Go  to  Church"  Sunday. 

14.  On  account  of  sickness  the  club  meeting  will  be  postponed 
from  Tuesday  until  Thursday. 

E.  Reconstruct  the  following  sentences  in  any  way  that 
will  make  them  clear.  Point  out  the  errors  in  the  sentences 
as  they  now  stand.  (Mainly  paragraphs  157-162.) 

1.  A.  A.  DeLeo,  while  walking  with  a  young  lady  the  other  night, 
slipped  on  the  icy  pavement  and  sprained  his  arm,  between  Grobel's 
corner  and  the  crossing. 

2.  Some  days  they  only  succeeded  in  gaining  a  few  feet,  no  matter 
how  heavy  the  cannonading. 

3.  Mr.  Scherck  explained  that  sickness  in  his  family  has  caused 
him  a  great  deal  of  expense  in  the  last  year  and  is  sure  that  he  can 
meet  all  his  indebtedness,  which  by  the  way  is  not  as  large  as  was 
reported,  by  the  first  of  the  new  year. 

4.  Miss    Louise   Hill   gave    a    small   luncheon    Wednesday,    at 
Ferndale,  where  her  parents  have  taken  the  Frank  Bovey  house 
in    honor    of    Miss    Ethel    Woolf    of  Atlanta,  Ga.,    who    is    her 
guest. 

6.  Mr.  William  Waldorf  Astor  has  reached  the  fulfilment  of  the 
ambition  which  brought  him  from  the  United  States  to  England 
sixteen  years  ago  to  become  a  British  subject  by  his  elevation  to-day 
to  the  rank  of  a  baron  of  the  United  Kingdom. 

6.  The  French  are  using  the  grenade  as  a  war  weapon  with  con- 
siderable success  in  trench  fighting,  and  for  guarding  the  men  who 
hurl  them  from  poisonous  vapors,  which  are  used  with  telling  effect 
by  the  Germans,  a  special  mask  is  provided. 

7.  Mr.  Moscherosch  said  this  morning  that  the  cap  was  designed 
particularly  for  chauffeurs  and  drivers  who  are  obliged  to  travel  at 


322  NEWS  WRITING 

night  and  face  the  blinding  light  from  automobile  lamps,  for  farmers 
and  factory  employees. 

8.  Van  Wie's  defense  is  that  he  has  no  recollection  of  the  marriage 
on  account  of  an  operation  performed  on  his  brain. 

9.  In  these  elections  they  are  only  permitted  to  vote  for  an  elector 
and  not  for  the  man  running  for  the  office. 

10.  He  finally  admitted  that  not  only  the  testimony  was  not  true, 
but  that  he  knew  it  was  false. 

11.  Lessons  which  the  United  States  may  gain  from  the  European 
war  comprise  the  major  part  of  a  letter  written  by  Tracey  Richard- 
son of  Kansas  City,  a  soldier  of  fortune,  who  is  now  serving  with  the 
Princess  Patricia's  regiment  of  Canadians  in  Europe,  to  a  Washing- 
ton friend. 

12.  Some  of  the  other  striking  results  that  have  taken  place 
already  since  the  adoption  of  this  new  scheme  are:  in  the  first  place, 
there  has  been  an  increase  in  efficiency.     The  men  do  more  work  in 
eight  hours  than  they  did  before  in  nine.     In  the  second  place,  there 
is  a  striking  effect  in  the  development  of  character. 

13.  While  Harold  Green  was  escorting  Miss  Violet  Wise  from  the 
church  social  last  Saturday  night  a  savage  dog  attacked  them  and 
bit  Mr.  Green  several  times  on  the  public  square. 

14.  One  senator  expressed    the    belief    that  the  other  outrages 
besides  the  Tampico  incident  should  be  considered,   such  as  the 
treatment  of  American  citizens  in  Mexico,  and  that  all  the  Mexi- 
cans should  be  included,  and  not  just  Huerta. 

15.  Musical   numbers   were   rendered   by   Miss   Findley   on   the 
violin  and  Tom  Hamilton.     The  occasion  was  greatly  enjoyed. 

16.  Quite  in  keeping  with  the  old-fashioned  idea  of  the  wedding 
spirit  and  yet  managed  with  a  delicacy  and  refinement  that  lent 
especial  charm  to  the  homely  symbols  and  their  significance,  every- 
thing was  carried  out  with  taste  and  elegance  that  could  make  it 
prenuptial  in  feeling. 

17.  A  burglar,  in  attempting  to  enter  Wright's  store,  was  shot 
at  by  Winifred  Rardin.     The  man  started  to  run,  the  bullet  strik- 
ing him  between  the  fence  corner  and  front  gate,  inflicting  a  super- 
ficial wound. 

18.  The  affection  has  interfered  seriously  with  her  singing,  her 
talent  for  which  has  been  the  subject  of  high  praise  and  has  brought 
her  to  Philadelphia  for  treatment  before. 

19.  Bacon  induced   100  barbers  on  the  West  side  to  advertise 
orally  to  their  customers  of  church  organizations  between  shaves. 

20.  When  Annie  Malone  Frazier,  colored,  was  asked  which  she 


EXERCISES  323 

had  rather  have,  her  husband,  Babe  Frazier,  or  $21  which  she  claimed 
he  had  stolen  from  her  in  police  matinee  Wednesday  afternoon, 
Annie  unhesitatingly  chose  the  $21. 

21.  Callahan  declared  he  had  only  bargained  for  two  men  each 
day. 

22.  After  two  weeks  fighting  they  had  neither  gained  the  forest 
nor  even  the  outer  edges  of  the  village. 

23.  The  cause  of  the  fire  was  said  to  be  the  tipping  over  of  a  lamp, 
which  had  been  left  during  the  night  by  the  family  cat. 

24.  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Pierce  have  returned  from  the  Green  Lake 
assembly.     The  reverend  will  occupy  his  pulpit  on  Sunday  morning, 
and  Monday  in  company  with  his  wife  they  will  leave  to  visit  their 
new-found  relatives  in  Picton,  Ontario.     On  Sunday  the  22nd,  Mr. 
Pierce  will  occupy  the  Picton  pulpit  in  the  morning  by  request  of 
the  pastor. 

25.  Both  testified  that  the  evil  effect  is  not  alone  seen  in  the  motor 
races. 

26.  The  committee  acted  last  night  with  the  relentless  persist- 
ency of  a  steam  roller  and  crushed  out  the  athletic  activities  of 
two  men  who  were  members  of   the  last    Olympic  team  without 
compunction. 

27.  Mrs.    Dickenson   expects   soon   to   entertain   a   company   of 
ladies  at  luncheon  and  another  dinner  party  will  be  given. 

28.  Mr.    Hailey,    wife,    daughter   Miss   Ida,    and   son    Will   ac- 
companied by  Mrs.   Rose  Hailey  and  Master  Adran,  motored  to 
Springfield  last  Saturday  and  spent  the  day  on  business  and  visit- 
ing relatives,  averaging  eighteen  miles  an  hour. 

29.  The  young  man  was  taken  to  Menasha  for  treatment  and  his 
injury  is  not  expected  to  prove  serious. 

30.  Wesley   Owen  got   mixed   up   with   his   horse   Monday  and 
carries  a  bad  gash  in  his  head  where  he  kicked  him,  the  calk  of  the 
shoe  going  through  his  hat  and   making  a  hole  in   the  band.     He 
was  being  curried  when  he  reared  and  kicked  Wesley.     His  two 
outside  fingers  on  his  hand  were  struck  and  badly  injured.     It  was 
lucky  for  him  he  was  not  more  seriously  injured.     As  it  was,  he  was 
knocked  senseless  and  had  to  be  helped  to  the  .house.     Lucky  for 
him,  the  horse  reared  right  up  and  came  down  on  him. 

F.  Rewrite  the  following  sentences  in  any  way  that  will 
improve  their  coherence  (mainly  paragraphs  163-164): 

1.  Some  hail  fell  Sunday  evening,  but  fortunately  there  was  but 
little  wind,  besides  the  hail  was  not  very  solid  and  not  very  large 


324  NEWS  WRITING 

so  that  the  corn  and  other  growing  crops  suffered  but  little,  and 
fortunately  there  is  but  very  little  tobacco  growing  in  the  path  of 
this  storm,  and  which  fortunately  did  not  extend  over  a  very  wide 
territory,  possibly  not  over  a  mile  in  width. 

2.  Things  are  very  quiet  to-day.     The  justice  courts  are  without 
criminal  matters,  and  likewise  the  undertakers  report  no  deaths. 

3.  Some  large  steamers  operate  upon  its  course,  carrying  freight, 
passengers,  and  other  commodities. 

4.  Nicholas  Jenkins,  a  retired  capitalist,  was  among  the  killed. 
William  Essex,  president  of  the  city  railway,  is  still  missing,  and 
several  stores  were  wrecked  by  the  high  winds  preceding  the  rain, 
but  it  is  thought  that  the  benefits  of  the  heavy  rain  will  more  than 
offset  all  losses. 

6.    Simon   Beck   sawed   wood    last    Thursday.     Charlie   Bishop 
did  the  work. 

6.  With  our  nose  always  to  the  ground  for  improvements  going 
on  in  our  part  of  the  city,  we  are  awarded  this  time  with  the  beauti- 
ful and  attractive  appearing  front  of  the  new  moving  picture  thea- 
ter.    Namely,  a  row  of  incandescent  lights  hanging  in  a  straight 
line  above  the  entrance. 

7.  In  the  interests  of  the  picture  Mr.  Cummings  risks  life  and 
limb  with  careless  disregard  of  his  own  safety.     To  be  seen  on  the 
Central  Plaza  Thursday. 

8.  This  is  a  picturization  of  the  famous  novel  and  play  and  ap- 
peals to  all  classes.     A  gripping  story  all  the  way  through  and  one 
that  will  set  you  thinking. 

9.  But  even  if  he  was  possessed  of  quite  remarkable  golfing  ability, 
I  do  not  think  there  would  be  much  prospect  of  his  attaining  to  the 
consistent  brilliancy  of  Vardon,  Braid,  and  Taylor,  unless  he  was 
granted  the  opportunity  of  continually  playing  with  these  giants, 
or  men  much  of  their  caliber,  say  like  Duncan  and  Ray,  and  now- 
adays the  amateur  has   but  few  opportunities  of    taking   part  in 
games  with  these   celebrities,  as  they  are   so  very  fully  occupied, 
and  in  their  quest  for  the  almighty  dollar  have  not  the  time  for  the 
friendly  encounter. 

10.  Prof.  C.  O.  Bishop  was  Marshall's  English  teacher  and  he 
failed  to  pass  the  rhetoric  tests  getting  only  a  grade  of  60. 

11.  I  believe  that  the  greatest  present  menace  to  the  American 
Indian  is  whiskey.     It  does  more  to  destroy  his  constitution  and 
invite  the  ravages  of  disease  than  anything  else.     It  does  more  to 
demoralize  him  as  a  man  and  frequently  as  a  woman. 

12.  The  house  was  beautifully  decorated  in  red  and  white  hearts 


EXERCISES  325 

extending  from  the  centers  of  the  rooms  in  each  direction,  and  in  the 
arch  to  the  dining-room  were  two  large  hearts,  pierced  by  an  arrow 
containing  the  words  "Two  hearts  that  beat  as  one,"  where  after 
several  games  were  played,  Miss  Baker  was  seated  and  showered 
with  rice  from  a  funnel,  concealed  back  of  the  hearts  above,  and  also 
showered  with  more  than  fifty  presents  each  containing  a  verse, 
which  caused  much  merriment,  after  which  the  guests  proceeded 
to  the  dining-room,  where  the  color  scheme  was  also  carried  out, 
hearts  being  extended  from  a  large  wedding  bell  which  hung  in 
the  center  of  the  room  and  the  table  was  decorated  in  red  and 
white  roses. 

13.  Appleton  people  will  be  interested  to  read  the  subjoined  article 
from  the  Grand  Rapids  Leader,  referring  to  people  formerly  residents 
of  this  city,  A.  C.  Bennett  and  his  son,  Arthur,  who  used  to  live  on 
Lawrence  Street  between  Oneida  and  Morrison  streets  a  generation 
or  more  ago,  and  Rev.  H.  C.  Logan  received  his  education  at  Law- 
rence College. 

14.  There  is  a  girl,  one  of  the  longest  drivers  I  have  ever  seen,  and 
I  have  seen  all  the  best  women  golfers  play,  and  though  she  has  a 
distance  of  250  yards  or  so  to  her  credit,  she  is  not  one  of  the  good 
drivers,  because   at  the  next  hole  she  is   more  than  likely  to  send 
the  ball  in  a  semicircle,  getting  into  some  hazard  belonging  to  another 
hole. 

15.  In  so  far  as  this  war  is  concerned,  the  capture  of  the  Kiel 
canal  is  almost  as  important,  if  not  even  more  so,  to  England  as 
it  is  to   France. 

16.  It  is  also  asserted  that,  as  Germany  may  ask  further  finan- 
cial assistance  from  this  country  before  long,  which,  naturally,  she 
would  be  unable  to  procure  in  case  of  a  break  with  us,  and  as  Great 
Britain  undoubtedly  needs  such  assistance,  and,  through  American 
financiers,  is   even    now  procuring  it,  as    Gemany  has  also  done, 
although  in  a  much  more  limited  way,  hence  the  race  by  these  power- 
ful belligerents  for  American  favor. 

17.  Henry  Fleming  is  being  detained  at  his  home  this  week.     A 
new  stone  hitching  post  has  been  set  in  front  of  the  Fleming  resi- 
dence on  East  Street. 

G.  The  following  sentences  lack  emphasis.     Explain  why 
and  improve  the  emphasis  in  each.     (Paragraphs  165-168.) 

1.    As  we  go  to  press,  the  news  comes  to  us  that  Doc  Pasley  of 
southeast  of  town  was  instantly  killed  yesterday  afternoon  by  a 


326  NEWS  WRITING 

tree  falling  on  him.     As  we  are  unable  to  learn  any  of  the  particu- 
lars about  it,  we  are  forced  to  leave  it  out  this  week. 

2.  William  Abel,  who  was  convicted  last  month  of  the  murder 
of  Thomas  Kane,  12  years  old,  was  refused  a  new  trial  by  Judge 
Ormerod,  who  inflicted  the  death  sentence  to  be  hanged. 

3.  This  is  her  third  visit  to  Shawano  and  she  spoke  of  our  beauti- 
ful surroundings,  especially  the  large  forest  trees  left  by  the  early 
settlers  for  shade  trees  and  she  spoke  in  praise  of  them  for  their 
foresight  in  leaving  the  large  pine  trees  and  oaks  standing. 

4.  When  a  team  in  a  tournament  contest  can  trim  an  opponent 
77  to  26,  it  shows  that  one  team  is  unusually  strong,  or  that  the  other 
is  very,  very  much  inferior. 

5.  One  of  E.  W.  Bishop's  fine  calves  was  found  violently  ill  Mon- 
day evening.     In  its  stomach  was  found  a  considerable  amount  of 
the  poisonous  variety  of  mushrooms,  the  stomach  showing  much 
information. 

6.  Eggs  of  the  species,  like  those  of  all  its  immediate  relatives, 
are  laid  in  water  and  never  in  deep  water. 

7.  After  the  usual  eats  which  received  their  due  share  of  atten- 
tion, numerous  toasts  were  responded  to. 

8.  Billy  Sunday  and  Dr.  Francis  Clark,  the  latter  the  founder  of 
the   Christian  Endeavor  League,   will  be  unable  to  attend,  both 
being  ill  at  the  present  time. 

9.  Warren  is  one  of  the  finest  little  cities  I  know  of   and  my 
travels  take  me  through  the  best  cities  in  four  states,  but  indif- 
ference toward  the  appearance  of  the  city  such  as  is  evidenced  by 
the  posting  of  circus  ads  over  an  entire  side  of  a  city  building,  such 
as  has  been  done  on  the  building   opposite   the  city  courthouse,  I 
fear  would  soon  cause  the  traveling  public  to   change  its  mind  re- 
garding this  beautiful  little  city. 

10.  Much  indignation  has  been  aroused  throughout  this  parish 
on  account  of  the  fatal  stabbing  of  Joseph  Mier,  a  young  man  and 
the  son  of  a  prominent  planter,  which   occurred  just  before  dawn 
Sunday  morning  as  a  public  ball  was  ending,  some  miles  from  this 
place. 

11.  A  letter  from  the  James  B.  Clow  and  Sons  Company,  Chicago, 
received  by  the  city  commission  quotes  prices  on  bubbler  fountains 
such  as  it  is  planned  to  install  at  the  corner  of  College  Avenue  and 
Oneida  Street. 

12.  Wilbur  Grant  and  Jack  Faville  left  the  city  this  morning  to 
attend  the  World's  Convention  of  the  Christian  Endeavor  Society, 
which  is  to  be  held  in  Chicago. 


EXERCISES  327 

13.  While  driving  from  Barre  Sunday  afternoon  a  tire  went  down 
on  the  car  of  Burt  Smith  causing  the  machine  to  slide  around  a  little 
but  after  putting  on  a  new  tire  he  was  able  to  continue  home.     The 
report  was  started  that  one  wheel  was  broken  but  such  developed 
to  be  erroneous. 

14.  Do  you  know  that  if  you  attend  the  song  service  and  Chris- 
tian cantata  given  Sunday  evening  by  the  choir  at  the  First  Metho- 
dist Church,  you  will  find  a  pleasure  in  spending  Sunday  evening 
in  a  way  that  will  give  satisfaction  that  comes  from  the  feeling  that 
you  attended  an  entertainment  and  have  been  at  services  on  the 
Sabbath  day? 

15.  Louisiana  never  does  things  by  halves.     It  was  the  unani- 
mous consensus  of  opinion  of  all  that  our  chest  of  silver  presented 
to  Mrs.  J.  M.  Thomson  was  only  surpassed  by  the  Congressional 
diamond  necklace. 

16.  She  is  well  educated,  and  speaks,  besides  Chinese  and  English, 
the  languages  of  Germany  and  France.  , 

17.  Miss  Kathryn   Stinson,  a  lady  aviatrix,  will  fly  from  Grant 
Park  to  the  ball  park,  and  just  before  the  battle  starts  Manager 
Tinker  will  be  presented  with  a  watch  and  chain. 

18.  The  recent  tornado  wrought  havoc  with  the  Newton  church, 
tearing  off  a  considerable  section  of  the  roof,  rafters  and  all,  and 
throwing  the  west  end  gable  down  upon  the  pulpit  and  nearby  furni- 
ture of  the  interior.     The  belfry  was  demolished,  and  the  bell  thrown 
into  the  yard.     The  house  is  otherwise  in  a  fairly  good  condition. 

19.  A  fine  and  costs  of  $7.50  was  paid  in  police  court  yesterday 
afternoon  for  Charles  McCormick,  who  was  charged  by  the  police 
with  creating  an  improper  disturbance  at  the  Sherwood  buffet. 

20.  Others  of  world-wide  repute  will  appear,  and  delegates  and 
noted  people  from  all  over  the  world  are  arriving  and  have  already 
arrived  in  the  city. 

21.  An  article  appeared  in  last  week's  paper  stating  a  baby  boy 
was  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  M.  David,  which  is  incorrect,  and  Mrs. 
David  wishes  it  published  that  it  is  not  true.     It  must  have  been  a 
joke  or  mistake. 

22.  Committees  of  the  passengers  in  general,  and  separate  com- 
mittees of  clergymen,  students,  and  newspaper  men  have  been  or- 
ganized to  confer  with  similar  committees  in  the  neutral  nations, 
when  the  ship  arrives,  on  the  question  of  peace. 

23.  The  place  where  the  body  of  Howe  was  found  is  the  most 
convenient  location  for  a  body  killed  elsewhere  and  removed  from 
another  place  to  the  lonesome  spot  where  it  was  found. 


328  NEWS  WRITING 

24.  The  chimney  still  stands,  although  many  bricks  have  been 
loosened  by  the  heat,  and  fallen  to  the  earth  below. 

25.  John  Fouts  of  Olena  surprised  his  friends  last  Friday  even- 
ing by  bringing  home  a  new  bride.     In  honor  of  the  occasion  he 
served  an  oyster  stew  to  quite  a  little  gathering  of  friends. 

26.  He  has  two  of  the  prettiest  homes  in  our  beautiful  city  for 
sale.     Home  No.  i  is  located  on  Beach  Drive  on  our  beautiful  water 
front,  where  you  can  sit  on  the  front  porch  and  watch  the  beautiful 
waves.     It  has  a  lot  73  by  150  feet,  the  bungalow  has  eight  rooms 
and  is  a  two-story  house,  with  bath  and  toilet  on  each  floor,  a  beauti- 
ful flower  garden  plan,  roses,  royal  palms,  rubber  trees,  etc.     House 
No.  2  is  located  at  No.  60  Fifth  Avenue,  north,  a  beautiful  location. 
The  house  is  furnished  up  beautifully    inside  and  has  a  beautiful 
yard. 

27.  The  bride  is  a  pleasing  young  woman  well  known  in  Beards- 
town's  social  set,  and    enjoys  the  acquaintance   of   everyone   who 
knows  her. 

28.  She  climbed  up  on  the  bed  and  tucked  her  feet  under  her. 
and  the  thoughtful  forefinger  began  to  slowly  trace  the  pattern  on 
the  bedspread,  while  Jane  Rowland  studied  her  with  speculative 
spectacles. 

29.  Passengers  are  forbidden  to  stand  on  the  front  platform  and 
will  not  be  allowed  to  stand  on  the  rear  platform. 

H.  The  following  sentences  are  unemphatic  because  of 
their  crude  or  affected  phraseology.  Rewrite  each  so  that 
it  shall  be  good. 

1.  He  leaves  nine  children,  eight  of  whom  are  honored  and  re- 
spected citizens  of  this  state,  and  the  other  lives  in  Missouri. 

2.  Pan  with  his  shepherd  pipes,  Jupiter  with  his  thunderbolts, 
Apollo  with  his  harp,  and  the  songstress,  Sappho,  appeared  in  spirit 
with    the    Minneapolis    Symphony    Orchestra,    which    returned    to 
Evansville  Monday  afternoon  and  night  on  its  annual  tour.     The 
whispering  winds  of  the  reed  section,  the  passionate  love  pleadings 
of  the  cellos,  mixed  with  the  blatant  fury  of  the  trumpets,  the  rumble 
and  thunder  of  the  kettle  drums,  and  instruments  portraying  all  the 
varying  moods  of  nature,  presented  the  whole  category  of  human 
emotions. 

3.  She  has  a  wonderful  voice,  full,  round,  and  velvety,  with  a 
mature  richness  and  at  the  same  time  the  vibrant  joyousness  of 
youth.     While   her  spring   songs   bring  veritable   visions  of  apple 


EXERCISES  329 

blossoms  and  the  songs  of  birds,  she  can  express  with  equal  per- 
fection the  tragedy  of  grief. 

4.  Processionals  of  lovely  matrons,  trailing  draperies  of  brilliantly 
hued  velvets,  brocades  and  satins,  drifts  of  adorable  girls,  their  ex- 
quisite slimness  enveloped  in  misty  clouds  of  tulle  or  clinging  lengths 
of  accordion  plaited  taffetas;  platoons  of  the  brave  and  the  gallant, 
the  handsome  and  the  gay  of  Peoria's  golden  youth,  and  substan- 
tial business  men,  in  the  correctest  of  evening  garb,  lent  to  the 
Jefferson  Hotel  a  stunningly  pictorial  effect  last  night  when  the 
first  Assembly  ball  of  the  season  took  place  at  that  popular  hostelry. 

6.  Away,  away  on  the  pinions  of  the  wind  flew  the  car,  the  speed 
being  dexterously  regulated  according  to  the  grade  and  curvature 
of  the  road.  Many  birds,  traveling  at  their  best  speed,  were  easily 
overtaken  and  left  far  in  the  rear;  horse  conveyances  going  at  a 
gallop  appeared  to  be  standing  still;  farm  houses  looked  like  hen- 
coops, and  Eholt  resembled  a  chicken  ranch.  For  speed,  Mazeppa's 
ride  was  far  outclassed.  It  was  a  memorable  trip  to  those  in  the  car, 
but  everyone  had  implicit  confidence  in  the  chauffeur  and  there 
were  no  white  feathers  visible. 

6.  His  heart  is  of  gold,  pure  i4-carat  gold,  all  wool  and  a  yard 
wide. 

7.  Throughout  the  entire  visit  of  the  society  members  the  prison 
band,  stationed  in  the  balcony  over  the  prison  entrance,  dispersed 
sweet  music. 

8.  Fortunate,  indeed,  are  the  golfers  of  Elgin  and  vicinity,  in 
having  for  their  very  own  such  a  lovely  and  delightful  spot  as  the 
Wing  Park  Golf  course,  where  soft,  sweet  winds  are  blended  with 
the  greens  below  and  the  blue  above  —  where  the  sturdy  oak  reaches 
out  cool,  shadowy  arms  to  caress  the  tired  golfer  —  where  the  last 
rays  of  the  setting  sun  love  to  linger  on  the  golf  balls  —  where  in 
fact  all  nature  appears  to  unite  into  one  grand  combination  to  give 
the  golfer  a  good  time. 

9.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  F.  Shattuck  are  entertaining  a  number  of 
their  lady  and  gentlemen   friends  at  a  boat    ride  in  their   launch 
"Dion"  this  afternoon. 

10.  Miss  Muriel  Kay,  pianist,  manipulated  not  only  the  keys  of 
the  instrument,  but  also  the  heart-strings  of  the  audience. 

11.  The  Merry  Matrons'  club  was  hostess  at  the  home  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  J.  E.  Tiger  to  a  number  of  friends,  as  well  as  the  husbands  of 
the  members  of  the  club. 

12.  She  is  a  dainty  slip  of  a  girl,  with  pretty,  graceful  presence. 
She  resembles  a  canary  bird  just  poised  for  flight  as  she  faces  her 


330  NEWS  WRITING 

audience,  golden  haired  and  singing  without  the  least  effort,  her 
high  tones  clear  and  true,  trilling  the  bird  notes  and  enthralling  the 
guests.  She  is  the  best  soprano  ever  heard  in  the  Birchwood  Club. 

13.  In  the  fullness  of  time  (according  to  the  laws  of  human  na- 
ture, which  draws  into  a  juxtaposition  all  who  would  really  enjoy 
the  beauty  of  life)  has  been  revealed  a  long  looked  for  and  also 
a  long  hoped  for  event.     By  an  act  of  providence  there  has  been 
provided  two  existences,  two  lives,  two  individualities  in  two  dif- 
ferent families  in  the  immediate  surroundings  of  this  community. 
These  two  existences,  which  had  heretofore  traveled  the  pathway 
of  life,  each  moving  on  in  an  independent  course,  passing  through 
the  various  experiences  of  life  and  never  once  dreaming  of  what  the 
end  would  really  be,  had  emerged  upon  the  common  but  ever  blessed 
pathway  of  life  to  blend  together  into  a  single  union  the  thought 
and  intents  of  each  other's  hearts,  wills,  and  affections,  and  thence 
plunge  into  the  great  land  of  utility.     We  are  only  too  willing  to 
admit  that  the  contracting  parties  took  to  heart  the  words,  "It  is 
not  good  that  the  man  should  be  alone,"  because  last  Thursday 
evening  at  8  o'clock  Mr.  Oliver   Keefer  and   Miss   Myrtle  Bowker 
amalgamated  their  earthly  career  into  one  harmonious  entity  when 
they  stood  before  the  marriage  altar  and  agreed  to  the  words  which 
bound  the  twain  as  one. 

14.  Mrs.  Maxwell  of  Sycamore  visited  her  daughter,  Mrs.  H.  W. 
Smith,  last  week.     Mrs.  Smith  ran  a  nail  in  her  foot,  Mr.  Smith  cut 
his  eyeball  with  a  piece  of  steel,  and  their  son,  Horace,  broke  his 
arm. 

15.  Bishop  Cadman,  of  the  diocese  of  Maine,  surprised  the  con- 
gregation at  St.  Matthias's  Episcopal    church   last  Sunday.     The 
Bishop  preached  a  fine  sermon. 

CHAPTER   XIII 

A.   Distinguish  the  meanings  of  the  words  in  the  following 
groups: 

1.  Abscond,  avoid,  decamp,  elude,  escape,  evade. 

2.  Accident,   calamity,   casualty,   disaster,   mishap,   misfortune. 

3.  Acquire,  gain,  get,  obtain,  procure,  secure. 

4.  Affect,  effect,  influence. 

6.   Aggravate,  annoy,  tease,  worry. 

6.  Antagonize,  fight,  hinder,  oppose,  resist,  restrain,  thwart. 

7.  Apparent,  clear,  evident,  obvious,  plain. 


EXERCISES  331 

8.  Apt,  liable,  likely. 

9.  Assassinate,  dispatch,  execute,  kill,  mob,  murder,  slay. 

10.  Assert,  claim,  declare,  maintain,  state. 

11.  Bearing,  behavior,  conduct,  demeanor,  deportment. 

12.  Blaze,  conflagration,  fire,  flame,  holocaust. 

13.  Board,  register,  stay,  stop. 

14.  Burglar,  footpad,  highwayman,  marauder,  plunderer,  robber, 
thief. 

15.  Calculate,  expect,  presume,  reckon,  suppose,  think. 

16.  Celebrated,  eminent,  distinguished,  famous,  noted,  notorious, 
renowned. 

17.  Compel,  constrain,  force,  urge. 

18.  Crime,  delinquency,  felony,  guilt,  misdemeanor,  offense,  sin, 
trespass,  vice. 

19.  Cyclone,  gale,  hurricane,  rain,  storm,  tempest,  tornado. 

20.  Dangerous,  deadly,  deathly,  murderous. 

21.  Distracted,  excited,  feverish,  frantic,  hysterical,  raging,  wild. 

22.  Dwelling,  home,  house,  residence. 

23.  Educated,  informed,  learned,  posted. 

24.  Healthful,  healthy,  nutritious,  sanitary,  wholesome. 

25.  Party,  people,  person,  race,  tribe. 

B.   Give  equivalents  for  the  following  phrases: 

acid  test  doing  as  well  as  can  be  expected 

along  the  line  of  dull  thud 

any  way,  shape,  or  form  elegantly  gowned 

appeared  on  the  scene  entertained  lavishly 

beggars  description  fatal  noose 

bids  fair  to  become  few  well-chosen  words 

blushing  bride  first  number  on  the  program 

brute  force  floral  offering 

burning  issue  foregone  conclusion 

checkered  career  fought  like  a  tiger 

cool  as  a  cucumber  gala  attire 

contracting  parties  goes  without  saying 

crisp  dollar  bill  hard-earned  coin 

crying  need  head  over  heels 

dark  horse  hotly  contested 

dastardly  deed  hurled  into  eternity 

delicious  refreshments  incontrovertible  fact 

departed  this  life  large  and  enthusiastic  audience 

devouring  element  last  sad  rites 


332  NEWS  WRITING 

last  but  not  least  sea  of  upturned  faces 

led  to  the  hymeneal  altar  select  few 

madly  in  love  signified  his  intention 

marriage  was  consummated  small  but  appreciative  crowd 

mooted  question  steeled  his  nerve 

much  interest  was  manifested  stern  reality 

one  of  the  most  unique  talented  authoress 

popular  citizen  the  present  day  and  generation 

present  incumbent  this  broad  land  of  ours 

presided  at  the  punch  bowl  this  world's  goods 

psychological  moment  took  things  into  his  own  hands 

put  in  his  appearance  tripped  the  light  fantastic 

received  an  ovation  typical  Westerner 

red-letter  day  under  existing  conditions 

C.   Correct  the  following: 

1.  By  his  skill  as  a  surgeon  he  carved  out  for  himself  a  place  and 
name  such  as  only  real  human  service  can  claim  or  is  ever  likely  to 
attain. 

2.  Borne  on  the  shoulders  of  six  fat  policemen,  the  body  of  Patrol- 
man  Ferdinand   Traudt,   drowned  in  lower   Nemahbin  lake,   was 
carried  to  Cavalry  cemetery  on   Saturday,  escorted  by  a  platoon 
of  twenty-six  policemen  in  charge  of  Sergeant  Edward  Solverson. 

3.  Jim  Allen  and  Silas  Watson  were  connected  with  the  town 
water  main  Saturday. 

4.  A  man  adapted  to  the  use  of  the  cigarette  is  immediately 
noticed  by  his  nervous  actions  and  his  shallow  complexion. 

5.  Elizabeth  Dickerson  and  Maud  Moore  have  gone  east  for  the 
heated  epoch,  and  are  missing  some  elegant  weather  hereabouts. 

6.  Another  Chicagoan  fell  victim  of  petromortis  yesterday  when 
A.  W.  Simpson,  a  mechanician  in  a  fashionable  garage  at  556  Sheri- 
dan  Road,   fell   unconscious  in   a  limousine. 

7.  Edward    McDonald    broke    through    the    screen    door.     His 
sleeves  were  rolled  up  and  he  singed  both  arms. 

8.  A  merchants'  protective  association,  comprising  the  several 
towns  of  this  and  adjoining  counties,  it  seems,  could  be  profitably 
organized  with   an  object  in  view   of   detecting   and  locating  the 
numerous  thieves  now  permeating  the  country. 

9.  Gideon  did  not  select  those  who  laid  aside  their  arms  and  threw 
themselves  down  to  drink;  he  took  those  who  watched  with  one  eye 
and  drank  with  the  other. 

10.  His  voice  is  a  pure  baritone  and  the  vocal  organs  of  Mr.  Black 


EXERCISES  333 

must  be  of  exquisite  formation  as  he  has  resources  in  singing  which 
command  the  study  of  the  expert  who  has  to  hear  all  exponents 
and  reject  most  of  them.  For  softness  and  power,  whisper  and  swell 
of  tone,  Mr.  Black  possesses  resources  of  exceptional  value. 

11.  With  her  gift  of  song  she  beautifies  church,  home,  charity, 
and  society. 

12.  She  was  taking  her  folks  out  riding  near  Logansport  and  on 
going  down  the  Davis  Hill  she  accidentally  put  her  foot  on  the  ex- 
hilarater  instead  of  the  brake. 

13.  A  novel  feature  was  a  shaving  contest  among  the  employees 
of  the  company.     Those  entered  came  to  the  picnic  enshrouded 
with  a  hirsute  appendage  of  three  days'  growth,  and  supplied  with 
a  razor  and  shaving  cup.     At  a  given  time  the  unshaved  began  to 
remove  the  capillary  adornment  and  after  the  appliance  of  styptics 
the  winner  was  recognized  by  his  friends. 

14.  After  an  hour  spent  in  its  inspection,  they  were  taken  back 
to  the  Insane  Asylum  and  were  made  to  feel  perfectly  at  home. 

15.  Like  his  predecessors  at  the  convention,  he  proved  a  strong, 
virulent,  and  entertaining  speaker. 

16.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Christensen,  with  vocal  solos,  and  Nora  and 
Mabel  Peterson,  with  instrumental  selections,  entertained  the  high 
school  and  seventh  and  eighth  grades  very  pleasantly  last  Friday 
afternoon.     The  music  was  followed  by  an  indignation  meeting. 

17.  The  fried  chicken,  new  potatoes,  sweet  peas,  strawberries, 
cottage  cheese,  and  other  vegetables,  and   practically  everything 
served  at  the  dinner  was  raised  on  the  place. 

18.  Unable  to  give  bonds  in  the  sum  of  $100  each,  Mesdames 
McCarroll    and    Caslin,    of    Ponchautoula,    charged    with    forgery, 
were  incarcerated  in  the  parish   prison  here  yesterday  to  await  the 
action  of  the  grand  jury,  which  convenes  soon. 

19.  Three  men,  Ed  Oliver  and  Fred  and  Bertrand  Logan,  met 
with  quite  a  mishap  recently  when  the  boat  in  which  they  were 
sailing  at  Lower  Bend  capsized  and  they  were  drowned. 

20.  J.  C.  Clausen  still  survives  his  terrible  shot  given  wound  and 
it  is  believed  will  ultimately  recover,  although  he  was  more  mortally 
wounded  than  reported  by  this  paper  last  week. 

21.  The  bullet  was  apparently  fired  during  the  celebration  but 
the  author  of  the  act  was  not  discovered. 

22.  J.  W.  Hiner  of  the  Chicago  bar  delivered  an  address  last  week 
at  Berlin,  Germany,  before  the  "Englische  Sprachvereinigung  im 
Deutschnationalen  Handlungsgehilfen  Verband,"  a  German  society. 

23.  An  unknown  man  standing  on  the  corner  of  Elm  and  Superior 


334  NEWS  WRITING 

streets  was  hit  by  a  rocket  which  went  between  his  legs  and  becom- 
ing entangled  in  his  overcoat  exploded  up  his  back.  He  immediately 
departed  for  parts  unknown. 

24.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilbur  Liddicoat  of  this  village  are  the  proud 
and  happy  parents  of  a  pair  of  twins,  born  July  17. 

25.  Especially  does  the  man  of  discriminating  taste  appreciate 
them  when  he  compares  them  to  the  mass  of  cheap  collars  that  the 
American  manufacturers  have  fostered  on  the  country. 

26.  A  cow  was  caught  in  the  sudden  rush  of  water  and  drowned. 
Other  animals  of  a  herd  had  to  fly  for  the  hills. 

27.  All  then  repaired  to  the  dining-room,  where  the  eye  was  not 
only  pleased  with  the  artistic  decorations  of  blue  and  white,  and 
pink  and  white  carnations,  but  the  inner  man  was  satisfied  with 
meats,  viands,  delicatessens,  etc. 

28.  Harry  L.  Gill  was  born  in  Toronto,  Canada,  and  is  still  a 
native  of  that  country. 

29.  Mrs.   Heap  wore  a  stunning  gown  of  emerald  green  satin 
with  the  bodice  combined  with  lace.     Mrs.  Tom  Clayton  wore  a 
stunning  gown  of  pink  satin  with  a  beaded  tunic  of  purple  chiffon. 
Other   stunning   costumes   were   worn  by  Mrs.  Alexander  Britton, 
who  was  in  purple  velvet  with  lace  and  brilliants;    Miss  Catherine 
Britton,  scarlet  chiffon.     Miss  Mary  Green  wore  a  lovely  gown  of 
blue  charmeuse  and  chiffon  with  bands  of  skunk. 

30.  I  was  surprised  to  learn  on  making  a  round  of  the  motor- 
cycle factories  that  the  motorcycle  engineers  have  produced  machines 
to  meet  the  needs  of  men  and  women,  too,  for  that  matter,  in  every 
walk  of  life. 

31.  He  has  the  face  of  a  cherubim. 

32.  He  was  a  tall  man,  looking  even  taller  by  reason  of  the  long, 
formless   overcoat  he  wore,  known  as  a  "  duster,"  and  by  a  long 
straight  beard  that  depended  from  his  chin,  which  he  combed  with 
two  reflective  fingers  as  he  contemplated  the  editor. 

33.  How  can  we  expect  woman,  a  member  of  the  weaker  race,  to 
work  ten  hours  a  day  and  still  retain  her  health? 

34.  Thomas  O.  Allen,  present  Minneapolis  lumberman  and  cap- 
tain of  the  Yale  eleven  in  1905,  who  has  been  summoned  to  New 
Haven  as  a  football  Moses  to  lead  the  Elis  into  some  new  bull  rushes, 
passed  through  Chicago  yesterday  on  his  way  east. 

35.  These  exercises  are  said  to  be  less  striving  and  to  have  more 
pleasure  for  all  contestants. 

36.  The  attaches  of  the  United  States  Weather  bureau  here  say 
that  while  the  precipitation  has  been  unusually  heavy,  the  present 


EXERCISES  335 

storm  and  that  predicted  to  follow  it  are  but  the  usual  rainy  season 
rainfalls,  for  which  there  is  no  freak  or  extraordinary  explanation. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

A.  Number  i  below  is  a  copy  of  a  speech  delivered  by 
George  Ade  last  night  at  a  dinner  in  honor  of  Mr.  Brand 
Whitlock,  United  States  minister  to  Belgium.  Number  2  is 
a  New  York  dispatch  about  the  dinner.  Write  up  the  story 
for  an  Indianapolis  morning  paper  on  which  you  are  working. 
George  Ade's  home  is  in  Indiana. 

1.  If  you  will  go  over  the  list  of  young  men  who  wrote  for  Chicago 
newspapers  twenty-five  years  ago  you  will  be  convinced  that  the 
newspaper  business  is  the  greatest  business  in  the  world  for  getting 
out  of. 

Let  us  go  away  back  to  1890.  Also  let  us  go  back  to  Chicago. 
I  hope  I  am  not  asking  too  much.  About  twenty-five  years  ago 
in  the  Middle  West  there  was  a  restless  movement  toward  the  news- 
paper office.  Nearly  every  young  man  who  could  no  longer  board 
at  home  decided  to  enter  journalism.  Chicago  called  him.  Chicago 
is  the  home  of  opportunity  —  and  other  things. 

The  young  man  who  wishes  to  be  a  book  agent  must  have  a  pro- 
spectus. Any  solicitor  must  own  a  set  of  application  blanks.  The 
burglar  needs  a  jimmy.  But  the  journalist  requires  only  a  collec- 
tion of  adjectives.  So  I  repeat  that  about  1890  all  the  by-roads 
led  to  Chicago  and  all  the  young  men  who  abhorred  farm  work 
were  arranging  to  be  editors. 

The  period  to  which  I  refer  was  to  Chicago  what  the  Elizabethan 
period  was  to  English  letters.  Joseph  Medill  and  Wilbur  F.  Storey 
were  just  rounding  their  interesting  careers.  George  Harvey  was 
flashing  across  our  local  horizon  on  his  way  to  New  York.  M.  E. 
Stone  was  hacking  out  of  one  newspaper  office  in  order  to  assume 
general  supervision  of  all  the  newspapers  in  the  world.  Vance 
Thompson  wrote  for  an  evening  paper.  Opie  Read  was  up  and 
down  the  street,  working  as  little  as  possible.  William  Elroy 
Curtis  had  just  served  a  term  as  society  editor  of  the  Inter  Ocean. 
Paul  Potter  was  tied  to  an  editorial  desk,  but  already  he  had  heard 
the  call  of  the  stage  and  was  getting  ready  to  write  Trilby.  Will 
Payne,  Kennett  Harris,  Ray  Stannard  Baker,  Forrest  Crissy,  Emer- 
son Hough,  and  other  contributors  to  the  five-  and  ten-cent  beacons 


336  NEWS  WRITING 

of  the  present  day  were  humbly  contributing  to  the  daily  press.  Ben 
King  was  writing  his  quiet  verse  and  peddling  it  around.  Eugene 
Field  had  come  on  from  Kansas  City  and  was  trying  to  weave  Cul- 
ture's Garland,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  high  wind  constantly 
disarranged  his  material.  Julian  Street  was  still  operating  as  an 
amateur,  while  Henry  Hutt  and  the  Leyendecker  boy  and  Pennrhyn 
Stanlaws  and  other  illustrators  who  have  brought  the  show  girl  into 
the  home  life  of  America  were  students  at  the  Art  Institute,  over 
on  the  lake  front.  Do  you  recognize  some  of  the  names?  Most 
of  them  are  now  typical  New  Yorkers  —  born  west  of  Kalamazoo. 

It  was  in  1890  that  John  T.  McCutcheon  came  up  from  Indiana 
and  broke  into  the  old  News  office.  Perhaps  you  know  that  later 
on  he  became  the  Thomas  Nast  of  the  corn  belt  —  one  of  the  few 
cartoonists  with  a  really  definite  influence  and  a  loyal  following. 
Tom  Powers  was  just  beginning  to  draw  his  comics. 

Shortly  before  Melville  Stone  escaped  from  bondage  he  received 
a  call  at  his  office  from  a  talented  young  woman  who  acted  on  the 
stage.  I  am  not  repeating  any  ancient  scandal.  I  am  simply 
telling  you  the  facts.  The  young  actress  showed  the  great  editor 
some  verses  which  had  been  dedicated  to  her  by  a  lad  living  on  the 
West  Side.  Mr.  Stone  sent  for  the  young  man  and  put  him  to  work, 
and  the  next  morning  he  knew  the  young  man  had  written  Robin 
Hood,  and  since  then  he  has  written  most  of  the  plays  with  music 
presented  anywhere  in  America.  You  must  have  seen  the  name  of 
Harry  B.  Smith  on  the  billboards. 

A  young  person  with  very  red  hair  did  general  hustling  on  the 
Inter  Ocean  for  a  short  time  and  then  disappeared.  Years  later  he 
bobbed  up  in  congress  as  a  member  from  Kansas  and  began  to  shout 
defiance  at  Uncle  Joe  Cannon.  The  young  person's  name  was 
Victor  Murdock. 

It  was  during  this  same  golden  age  that  an  overgrown  and  dif- 
fident young  man  came  from  an  obscure  town  in  Illinois  and  was 
given  a  tryout  on  the  Tribune.  He  was  steady  and  industrious 
and  ever  willing,  and  they  set  him  to  do  hotel  reporting.  He  was 
a  failure  as  a  hotel  reporter,  because  the  young  men  employed  by 
the  Herald  and  Times  secured  interviews  every  day  with  interest- 
ing visitors  whom  he  was  never  able  to  find.  He  could  not  find 
them  because  those  interesting  persons  did  not  exist.  They  were 
created  by  the  enterprising  young  men  of  the  Times  and  Herald 
who  were  working  in  combination  against  the  Tribune. 

Each  morning  the  Herald  and  Times  would  have  a  throbbing 
story  told  by  some  traveler  who  had  shot  big  game  in  India,  or 


EXERCISES  337 

penetrated  the  frozen  north,  or  visited  the  interior  of  Tibet,  or  ob- 
served the  habits  of  the  kangaroo  in  Australia. 

The  visitor  who  told  the  wondrous  tales  of  adventure  invariably 
left  in  the  afternoon  for  New  York,  but  his  name  was  on  the  hotel 
register  as  a  corroborative  detail  intended  to  give  verisimilitude  to 
an  otherwise  bald  and  unconvincing  narrative.  Perhaps  I  should 
explain  that  the  hotel  clerk  was  a  party  to  the  conspiracy. 

Every  day  the  Tribune  young  man  was  rebuked  because  he  had 
been  scooped  by  the  Times  and  the  Herald.  He  ran  from  hotel  to 
hotel,  frantically  eager  to  do  his  duty,  but  he  never  could  find  the 
African  explorer  and  the  titled  European  and  the  North  Sea  adven- 
turer who  told  their  breathless  tales  day  after  day  in  the  columns 
of  the  rival  papers.  So  the  Tribune  young  man  was  taken  off 
hotels  and  put  on  finance.  After  that  he  was  not  scooped.  He 
came  to  know  Lyman  J.  Gage  and  moved  on  to  New  York  via 
Washington.  To-day  the  poor  young  man  who  failed  as  a  hotel 
reporter  because  he  lacked  the  gift  of  imaginative  fiction  is  presi- 
dent of  the  National  City  Bank  of  New  York.  Perhaps  you  have 
heard  of  him.  His  name  is  Frank  Vanderlip. 

Now  let  us  inquire  as  to  the  designing  scribblers  who  caused  him 
to  lose  his  job.  The  Times  man  is  here  in  New  York  as  first  aid  to 
the  tired  business  man.  The  next  time  you  visit  "Chin  Chin"  or 
the  Hippodrome  you  will  notice  the  name  of  Charles  B.  Dillingham 
on  the  program.  As  for  the  Herald  young  man,  you  must  know 
something  about  him  if  you  have  read  Mr.  Dooley. 

It  was  about  1890  that  the  sprightly  organization  known  as  the 
Whitechapel  Club  came  into  existence  in  Chicago.  Moses  P.  Handy 
was  an  adopted  son  of  the  same  period.  He  had  come  on  from 
Philadelphia  and  was  trying  to  introduce  the  custom  of  wearing 
evening  clothes  in  the  evening.  Chicago  had  started  to  build  the 
Columbian  Exposition  and  was  trying  hard  to  prove  that  a  provin- 
cial city  could  be  cosmopolitan  while  company  was  present.  Thus 
many  influences  worked  together  to  make  Chicago  a  rather  interest- 
ing preparatory  school  in  1890. 

If  you  will  go  over  the  list  of  young  men  who  wrote  for  Chicago 
newspapers  twenty-five  years  ago  you  will  be  convinced  that  the 
newspaper  business  is  the  greatest  business  in  the  world  for  getting 
out  of.  Let  us  here  resolve  to  treat  the  reporter  kindly,  because 
in  a  few  years  we  may  be  working  for  him. 

Of  all  that  untried  host  standing  in  line  to  receive  assignments, 
I  don't  suppose  any  one  man  was  a  greater  disappointment  to 
prophets  than  Brand  Whitlock,  When  he  came  up  from  a  fresh- 


338  NEWS  WRITING 

water  college  in  Ohio  and  quietly  attached  himself  to  the  Herald 
staff  he  attracted  attention  almost  immediately  as  a  humorist.  He 
specialized  on  "Josh  stuff."  He  wrote  bantering,  fantastic,  mock- 
serious  stories  of  the  kind  that  were  standardized  by  Mr.  Dana's 
young  men.  He  was  a  star  reporter,  pulling  down  his  thirty-five 
per;  but  any  first-class  horoscoper  would  have  allowed  that  Whit- 
lock  was  destined  to  contribute  to  Puck  and  Judge,  and  probably 
attempt  the  libretto  of  a  comic  opera.  He  legged  it  on  the  news- 
paper for  a  while  and  then  re-deserted,  the  same  as  most  of  the  others, 
and  went  to  Springfield  to  resume  his  studies.  This  was  his  first 
erratic  move.  If  he  -had  been  a  true  journalist  there  wouldn't 
have  been  anything  more  for  him  to  learn.  Then  he  published 
The  Thirteenth  District.  Many  of  his  old  friends  bought  it  expect- 
ing to  get  something  on  the  order  of  refined  vaudeville,  but  found, 
instead,  a  true  and  tragic  story  of  cheap  ambitions.  Well,  we 
watched  him  as  mayor  of  Toledo,  and  we  have  been  telling  every- 
body for  the  last  year  and  a  half  that  we  did  assignments  together 
and  are  members  of  the  same  college  fraternity  and  wouldn't  be 
afraid  to  go  right  up  and  speak  to  him  anywhere. 

To  that  scattered  colony  of  twenty-five  years  ago  I  bring  the  as- 
surance that  we  are  proud  of  Brand  Whitlock  and  are  glad  to  call 
him  our  friend. 

2.  Brand  Whitlock,  American  minister  to  Belgium,  was  the  prin- 
cipal guest  at  a  private  banquet  given  by  the  Lotos  Club  at  its  home, 
no  West  Fifty-seventh  Street,  last  night.  It  was  described  by  a 
prominent  member  of  the  club  as  a  "banquet  that  was  not  attended 
by  any  man  prominent  in  politics,  but  one  that  was  intended  to  do 
honor  to  Mr.  Whitlock  and  to  drink  a  little  wine  and  to  eat  a  little 
breast  of  guinea." 

Politics  and  newspaper  reporters  were  barred,  and  Whitlock  in 
his  address  made  no  reference  to  the  European  war  or  to  the  situa- 
tion in  Belgium.  "American  Ideals"  was  the  subject  of  the  ad- 
dress, and  he  referred  to  the  inscription  on  Washington  Arch,  in 
Washington  Square,  which  says,  "Let  us  here  erect  a  standard  to 
which  all  the  wise  and  honest  may  repair." 

"That  is  a  sentence  of  which  I  like  to  think,"  Mr.  Whitlock  said. 
"It  is  a  standard  which  to  be  effective  must  be  erected  in  the  life  of 
each  citizen,  and  no  one  can  erect  it  there  but  himself.  In  no  citi- 
zen did  it  ever  attain  such  beautiful  and  symmetrical  proportions 
as  in  the  life  of  Lincoln. 

"Once  in  a  foreign  city  I  happened  to  pick  up  a  penny  in  the  street. 
It  was  one  of  those  that  bear  Lincoln's  head.  Looking  at  it  and 


EXERCISES  339 

thinking  of  its  implications,  the  thought  of  home  and  all  that  it 
brought  up,  the  thought  of  all  the  hands  through  which  it  had 
passed  —  hands  of  workmen,  the  hands  of  little  children,  the  hands 
of  beggars,  even;  hard  hands  and  gnarled  hands  and  honest  hands, 
the  hands  of  mine  own  people  —  it  seemed  to  me  to  have  been  made 
precious  by  the  patina  of  democracy,  and  I  thought  that  nothing 
could  have  been  more  beautiful  and  significant  than  that  Lincoln's 
noble  head  should  have  been  engraved  on  our  smallest  coin,  a  token 
of  our  universal  daily  need  in  hands  that  humbly  break  the  bread 
their  toil  has  earned.  That  head  to  me  somewhat  palpably  wore 
the  people's  love  like  purple  bays  —  the  love  of  all  those  common 
people  whom  he  so  wisely  loved  and  bore  in  sorrow  in  his  mighty 
heart. 

"In  him,  as  I  have  tried  to  say,  the  American  ideal  was  most 
perfectly  exemplified,  and  it  was  exemplified  in  him  because  after 
the  illusions  of  life  had  gone  he  retained  his  ideals  and  his  faith  in 
them.  It  was  thus  exemplified  in  him  because  in  addition  to  his 
wisdom,  his  gentleness,  his  patience,  his  hope,  and  his  faith,  he  had 
that  other  great  American  quality  of  humor,  which  saved  him  in 
every  situation,  and  by  American  humor  I  mean  that  instinctive 
sense  of  human  values  that  enables  one  to  see  all  things  or  most 
things  in  their  proper  relations,  and  so  becomes  an  integral  part  of 
the  American  ideal." 

Four  hundred  fifty  members  of  trie  club  anfl  their  friends  were  at 
the  banquet.  At  the  table  with  Whitlock  were  Dr.  M.  Woolsey 
Stryker,  president  of  Hamilton  College;  M.  A.  Van  der  Vyede, 
Belgian  Minister  of  Finance;  Nathaniel  C.  Wright,  editor  of  the 
Toledo  Blade;  Rev.  Dr.  Leighton  Parks,  Melville  E.  Stone,  George 
Ade,  and  Hewitt  H.  Howland,  of  Indiana,  all  of  whom  spoke. 

Mr.  Whitlock  was  introduced  by  Chester  S.  Lord,  vice  president 
of  the  club,  who  presided  in  the  absence  of  President  F.  R.  Lawrence, 
who  was  ill.  Lord  reviewed  briefly  some  of  the  work  of  Whitlock 
in  Belgium,  where  he  worked  "with  a  fidelity  and  a  fairness  and  a 
supreme  regard  for  the  interests  of  humanity  that  have  won  for 
him  the  praise  and  the  admiration  of  the  entire  world." 

Speaking  to  Mr.  Whitlock,  Mr.  Lord  said:  "The  neutral  nations 
esteem  you  and  love  you.  The  belligerent  nations  admire  and  re- 
spect you.  No  one  could  have  addressed  himself  to  this  task  with 
greater  loyalty,  fidelity,  or  patriotism." 

B.  Do  you  find  the  following  story  meritorious  or  blame- 
worthy? Why? 


340  NEWS  WRITING 

MRS.    PALTIER   "NOT   AT    HOME'9 

Mrs.  Laura  Paltier,  who  has  just  returned  from  Florida,  was  "not 
at  home"  to  reporters  yesterday.  They  wanted  to  ask  her  several 
questions  about  the  $20,000  exposition  fund  now  in  her  charge. 

A  maid  answered  the  doorbell  at  4356  Lake  Erie  Drive. 

"Is  Mrs.  Paltier  at  home?" 

"Who  is  it  wants  to  see  her?" 

"  The  Tribune."  The  maid  closed  the  door,  leaving  the  reporter 
on  the  porch.  Five  minutes  later  she  returned.  "Mrs.  Paltier  is 
not  at  home.  I  don't  know  where  she  is  nor  when  she  will  return." 
She  closed  the  door. 

The  reporter  went  to  a  telephone.     "Is  Mrs.  Paltier  at  home?" 

The  maid's  voice  answered:  "I  will  see."  For  a  minute  two 
voices  could  be  heard  at  the  other  end  of  the  wire. 

"Who  is  this,  please?"  asked  the  maid.  Upon  learning  the  iden- 
tity of  the  inquirer  she  said:  "No,  Mrs.  Paltier  is  not  at  home." 

About  that  time  the  reporter  decided  that  Mrs.  Paltier  was  not 
eager  to  see  him. 

C.  Special  assignments,  such  as  reporting  sermons,  local 
addresses,  commercial  banquets,  etc.,  may  be  taken  as  ad- 
ditional exercises  for  this  chapter. 

CHAPTER    XV 

A .  From  the  following  details  write  for  a  New  York  morn- 
ing paper  a  story  of  the  death  of  Tom  Hilton: 

Time  and  place  of  death,  yesterday  at  the  New  York  hospital; 
a8e>  36;  occupation,  sexton  at  Christ  Church  on  West  Thirty- 
sixth  Street;  attending  physician,  Dr.  Henry  Adair;  cause  of  death, 
swallowing  false  teeth  while  at  breakfast  with  his  wife  yesterday; 
efforts  to  save  him:  Dr.  Adair  summoned  immediately,  incision 
made  in  throat,  silver  tube  inserted  to  allow  passage  of  air  to  the 
lungs,  and  operation  later  at  hospital.  Patient  failed  to  rally  after 
operation.  Survivors:  wife  and  two  children. 

B.  From  the  following  details  write  for  a  Chicago  evening 
paper  a  story  of  the  fire  that  destroyed  the  plant  of  the 
W.  M.  Welch  Manufacturing  Company,  makers  of  college 
and  preparatory  school  diplomas: 


EXERCISES  341 

Date,  to-day,  April  19,  at  4:30  A.M.;  location,  1516  Orleans 
Street,  Chicago;  cause  of  fire,  supposedly  crossed  wires  on  second 
floor  where  fire  started;  loss  $60,000  according  to  C.  M.  Holmes,  Jr., 
manager  of  the  scientific  department;  persons  injured,  one  fireman 
slightly  injured  by  falling  glass;  institutions  whose  diplomas  were 
destroyed,  George  Washington  University,  Grinnell  College,  Uni- 
versity of  North  Dakota,  Marquette  University,  Dakota  Wesleyan 
College;  lives  endangered,  five  firemen  who  were  climbing  a  ladder 
on  the  rear  wall  when  it  fell;  insurance,  amount  not  obtainable. 

C.  The  following  almost  excellent  news  article  has  one 
grave  weakness.  Rewrite  the  story,  strengthening  the  weak 
points. 

Earl  Moisley  was  14  years  old.  He  lived  with  his  parents,  three 
brothers,  and  a  sister  at  5417  Gale  Street.  He  was  in  the  eighth 
grade  at  the  Beaubien  school  and  a  promising  pupil. 

Earl's  grandmother  gave  him  a  lamb  and  he  kept  it  in  the  base- 
ment. One  day  last  week  the  animal  slipped  through  the  open 
door  after  its  master  and  went  bleating  into  the  schoolroom  behind 
Earl. 

"Mary  had  a  little  lamb 
With  fleece  as  white  as  snow." 

Some  one  in  the  back  row  chanted  the  foolish  nursery  rhyme. 
Earl  was  sent  home  with  the  lamb.  Thereafter  his  life  was  made 
miserable.  Gangs  of  his  comrades  followed  him,  yelling  in  chorus 
the  song  of  "Mary"  and  "Little  Bo-Peep." 

Earl  turned  on  one  of  his  tormentors  yesterday  and  blacked  his 
eye.  His  playmates  say  he  was  summoned  before  the  principal 
of  the  school  and  suspended  for  fighting.  The  boys  assert  they  saw 
him  marching  sturdily  home  digging  one  grimy  fist  in  his  eye  and 
muttering,  "They'll  be  sorry,  all  right." 

About  5  o'clock  last  evening  Earl's  younger  brother  went  into 
the  basement.  He  saw  a  pair  of  shoes  sticking  over  the  top  of  a 
little  red  wagon  and  ran  upstairs. 

"Mother,"  he  said,  "there's  a  man  in  the  cellar.     I  saw  his  feet." 

Mrs.  Moisley  laid  aside  her  washing  and  went  downstairs  with 
the  younger  son.  She  then  told  her  husband,  Fred  Moisley,  an 
under  janitor  at  the  city  hall. 

Moisley  observed  a  piece  of  heavy  twine  tied  to  the  water  pipe. 
He  thought  some  man  had  committed  suicide  and  ran  outside  for 
a  policeman.  Mrs.  Moisley  went  near  the  stiff,  outthrust  little 


342  NEWS  WRITING 

shoes,  and  saw  they  were  those  of  a  boy.     She  bent  over  the  figure 
and  fainted.     It  was  Earl.     The  lamb  lay  asleep  beside  the  body. 

D.  Correct  in  any  way  needful  the  following  stories  for 
a  weekly  paper: 

1.  Susie,  the  four-months-old  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alvin 
Konick,  Booneville,  died  last  night  after  a  few  days'  illness.     She 
will  be  interred  at  the   Meadowland   cemetery  Thursday.     Susie 
had  the  whooping-cough. 

2.  Mrs.  Alice  Rice  was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  Ga.,  on  Aug. 
6,  1864,  and  passed  quietly   away  last    Saturday,  making  her  age 
53  years,  10  months,  and  27  days.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rice  were  married 
about  32  years.     One  son,   Samuel,  and  husband,  Adam,  survive 
her.     They  moved  to  the  Hough  ton  farm,  near  Adaville,  14  years 
ago,  and  were  just  intending  to  move  to  the  White  farm  when  death 
overtook  Mrs.  Rice  after  an  illness  of  22  hours,  which  was  not  con- 
sidered serious  until  about  2  hours  before  her  death.     Mrs.  Rice 
had  worked  as  busy  as  a  bee  all  her  years  in  Adaville,  and  when  her 
beautiful  spirit  quitted  this  mundane  vale  of  tears,  she  was  rewarded 
with  the  loving  attendance  and  affection  of  all  in  the  sorrowing 
neighborhood.    The  funeral  service  was  conducted  Monday  afternoon 
at  the  sorrowing  home  by  the  Rev.  R.   O.  Tumlin.     The  remains 
were  interred  at  the  Camp  Meeting  cemetery.     Mrs.  Rice  died  of 
heart  trouble. 

E.  Get  the  local  and  state  weather  forecast  and  write  for 
to-morrow  morning's  paper  a  story  of  to-day's  weather  and 
to-morrow's  prospects. 


CHAPTER   XVI 

A.  Criticize  and  rewrite  the  following  baseball  story: 

The  scribe  again  has  a  sad  story  to  relate  concerning  the  Sox, 
inasmuch  as  the  White  Hose  have  failed  for  the  sixth  straight  time 
to  win,  and  unfortunately  it  must  be  admitted  that  they  in  every 
way  deserved  what  they  got. 

In  fact,  if  Manager  Callahan  had  taken  their  bats  away  from  them 
after  the  first  inning  to-day  and  had  buried  them  20,000  leagues 
under  the  sea,  securely  padlocked  in  Davy  Jones'  locker,  his  men 
would  have  been  compelled  to  accept  a  victory  over  Detroit  instead 


EXERCISES  343 

of  handing  themselves  a  sixth  straight  defeat  after  one  of  the 
cheesiest  exhibitions  of  the  national  pastime  ever  seen  outside  the 
walls  of  a  state  institute  for  the  mentally  feeble. 

The  score  was  5  to  4,  and  all  five  of  Detroit's  runs  were  donated  by 
the  White  Sox,  a  fact  which  seemed  to  rouse  the  subconscious  gener- 
osity of  the  Tigers  to  such  a  pitch  that  in  the  ninth  inning  it  was  all 
the  Callahan  bunch  could  do  to  keep  their  opponents  from  forcing 
on  them  enough  tallies  to  even  matters  up  so  that  they  could  start 
over  and  let  the  best  team  win  in  extra  innings. 

That  ninth  round  saw  three  Detroit  pitchers,  Dame  Fortune, 
Herr  Billiken,  Mr.  Providence  and  all  the  gods  of  Olympus  conspir- 
ing to  give  the  White  Sox  the  game  which  had  been  thrown  away, 
but  the  whole  blamed  bunch  of  good  luck  deities  was  foiled  by  a 
couple  of  White  Sox  youngsters  simply  because  Callahan  forgot  to 
take  their  clubs  away  from  them. 

It  would  have  been  a  joke  that  would  have  caused  a  laugh  all 
through  the  corridors  of  time  if  the  White  Sox  had  achieved  a  tri- 
umph with  only  one  base  hit,  but  the  fact  remains  it  was  their  own 
fault  they  did  not  do  so.  Their  only  safe  hit  was  made  by  Ray 
Demmitt,  the  Tiger  discard,  who  has  not  yet  worn  a  Sox  uniform 
long  enough  to  forget  the  first  use  for  a  baseball  bat. 

Demmitt  retains  the  impression  that  bats  were  made  to  get  on 
with,  while  the  rest  of  Callahan's  bunch  use  them  solely  to  get  out 
with,  and  that  was  the  whole  trouble  in  the  last  round.  The  Sox 
entered  that  spasm  four  runs  behind,  having  converted  Demmitt's 
lone  hit  in  the  first  inning  into  the  only  genuine  tally  of  the  day. 

Hall,  who  had  enjoyed  a  breeze  all  the  way  at  the  expense  of  the 
Sox,  suddenly  was  seized  with  a  generous  fit  and  started  passing 
batsmen.  After  he  had  filled  the  bases  with  only  one  man  out 
Manager  Jennings  yanked  the  philanthropic  hurler  and  sent  Dauss 
to  the  slab.  Dauss  was  infected  with  the  same  Andrew  Carnegie 
spirit  and  issued  another  pass,  forcing  the  Sox  to  make  a  tally. 

There  was  no  pity  in  Jennings'  breast,  so  he  ordered  Dauss  to  the 
booby  hatch  for  a  spanking  and  sent  Coveleski  to  ladle  out  the  pitch 
stuff.  The  young  southpaw  was  equally  generous  in  intent  and 
would  surely  have  forced  in  enough  runs  to  give  the  Sox  the  game, 
but  two  of  the  visitors  absolutely  refused  to  accept  that  kind  of  a 
gift  and  got  out.  They  were  Tom  Daly  and  Ray  Schalk. 

For  a  while  it  looked  as  if  Buck  Weaver  would  have  to  shoulder 
the  blame  for  another  defeat  because  he  blew  two  runs  over  the  pan 
by  missing  a  cinch  double  play  in  the  fourth  inning.  But  Weaver 
had  plenty  of  partners  in  crime  before  the  thing  was  over.  Harry 


344  NEWS  WRITING 

Lord  and  Jack  Fournier  joined  him  by  helping  to  contribute  three 
runs  to  the  Tiger  total  in  the  eighth. 

Lord's  miscue  was  a  boot  of  a  Cobb  bounder  in  a  tight  place. 
Fournier's  blunder  did  not  appear  in  the  error  column.  Jack  simply 
sat  down  on  the  grass  and  watched  a  tall  fly  light  near  him  in  glee- 
ful security.  By  keeping  his  feet  Fournier  should  have  caught  said 
fly  and  saved  the  cost  of  Lord's  error  to  boot. 

Fournier  was  in  the  game  in  an  effort  to  bolster  up  the  offense, 
not  because  he  has  anything  as  an  outfielder  on  Bodie,  whose  place 
he  took  in  the  batting  order,  but  the  switch  did  not  work  out  just 
as  planned.  Fournier  made  no  better  use  of  his  stick  than  the  rest 
of  the  Sox,  and  gave  way  to  Daly,  who  foiled  the  generous  efforts 
of  the  Tiger  pitchers  in  the  ninth. 

It  was  a  typical  Joe  Benz  hard-luck  game.  The  Indiana  butcher 
boy  pitched  well  enough  to  have  won  with  any  club  in  the  league 
behind  him,  but  only  once  were  his  pals  anything  but  dead  weight 
around  his  neck.  In  the  sixth,  when  the  Tigers  made  a  determined 
attack,  Weaver  and  Schalk  came  to  Benz's  assistance  with  a  re- 
markable play,  which  pinched  Cobb  off  second  base  and  wrecked 
what  looked  like  sure  runs.  And  it  is  no  small  honor  to  have  caught 
the  honorable  Tyrus  napping  in  a  pinch  like  that.  .  .  . 

B.  Take  as  a  special  assignment  a  local  football,  basket- 
ball, or  baseball  game,  or  some  other  athletic  contest  and 
report  it  for  the  following  morning's  paper. 

CHAPTER   XVII 

A.  Write  the  story  of  the  following  for  the  society  column 
in  to-morrow  morning's  paper: 

The  parents  of  Elizabeth  Wallace,  24,  announced  her  engagement 
to-day  to  Parker  Maxwell.  Miss  Wallace's  father  is  president  of 
the  local  First  National  Bank  and  lives  at  1814  Prospect  Drive. 
Mr.  Maxwell,  31,  is  cashier  of  the  First  National.  Mr.  Maxwell  and 
Miss  Wallace  have  known  each  other  from  childhood. 

B.  Write  the  story  of  the  following: 

The  details  of  Elizabeth  Wallace's  wedding  (see  A)  two  weeks 
from  to-day  have  been  made  public.  She  will  be  married  at  St. 
Bartholomew's  Church  at  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Rev.  C.  K. 
Tanner  will  perform  the  ceremony.  The  bride  will  enter  with  her 


EXERCISES  345 

father.  Howard  Prentice,  St.  Louis,  a  college  chum  of  the  bride- 
groom's, will  be  best  man.  Alice  Wallace,  a  younger  sister  of  the 
bride,  will  be  maid  of  honor.  The  bride  will  wear  on  the  bodice  of 
her  wedding  gown  an  old  Brussels  lace  worn  by  her  mother  at  her 
wedding  thirty  years  ago.  The  predominating  color  scheme  will 
be  yellow.  There  will  be  two  flower  girls,  Jean  Thompson  and 
Helen  Orben,  cousins  of  the  bride.  Three  hundred  invitations 
have  been  issued.  A  luncheon  to  the  bridal  party,  relations,  and 
a  few  intimate  friends  will  be  served  at  1 130. 

C.  Write  for  to-day's  paper  an  account  of  the  marriage 
yesterday  of  Elizabeth  Wallace  and  Parker  Maxwell  (See 
A  and  B). 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maxwell  left  immediately  after  the  wedding  cere- 
mony for  a  trip  through  Yellowstone  Park.  On  their  return  next 
month  they  will  live  at  1200  East  Sixtieth  Street. 

CHAPTER    XVIII 

A.  Rewrite  for  this  afternoon's  paper  the  two  following 
stories  appearing  in  rival  publications  this  morning.  No 
additional  details  have  been  obtained. 

LOSES   MONEY  BETTING 

Two  rough  and  hearty  farmers  struck  up  an  acquaintance  at  a 
hotel  last  Thursday.  One  was  John  I.  Williams  of  Winthrop,  la. 
Mr.  Williams  is  now  sojourning  in  the  city  waiting  to  see  if  the  police 
can  recover  $2,500,  his  savings,  which  he  bet  on  a  "horse  race." 
The  other  introduced  himself  as  William  Shaw,  a  farmer  from  near 
Winnipeg.  The  police  are  looking  for  him. 

Mr.  Williams  reported  his  loss  and  told  of  meeting  Shaw. 

"We  were  together  all  Thursday  afternoon  and  evening,"  said  he. 
"Shaw  introduced  me  to  another  young  man,  who  proposed  the 
racing  bets.  I  have  forgotten  his  name.  He  placed  a  $i  bet  for  me 
and  I  won  $5.  He  placed  the  $5  and  brought  back  $15.  It  was 
easy. 

"Shaw  and  I  agreed  to  put  up  $2,500  apiece  and  let  him  bet  it. 
Shaw  put  up  checks,  but  the  young  man  didn't  know  me,  so  I  had 
to  go  back  to  Walker,  la.,  and  draw  my  $2,500. 

"On  Saturday  we  gave  him  the  money  and  checks  in  a  hallway 
at  830  North  State  Street. 


346  NEWS  WRITING 

"We  all  shook  hands  and  agreed  to  meet  at  3  o'clock  at  State 
Street  and  Chicago  Avenue  and  divide  the  winnings.  I  waited 
more  than  an  hour  at  the  meeting  place.  I  think  I've  been 
swindled." 

The  police  think  so,  too. 


SAYS  BABIES   BOOST   TAXES 

The  Mills  legislative  committee  which  is  studying  taxation  has 
discovered  strange  things  in  its  two  weeks'  sojourn  in  New  York 
City,  but  it  brought  forth  a  real  surprise  yesterday  in  the  person 
of  Prof.  Joseph  French  Johnson  of  New  York  University,  who  dis- 
closed himself  as  a  disciple  of  the  late  Thomas  Robert  Malthus, 
proponent  of  the  theory  that  there  can  never  be  a  happy  society 
because  population  tends  to  increase  at  a  much  faster  rate  than  the 
old  earth,  working  overtime,  can  provide  food,  raiment,  and  other 
things. 

Discussing  yesterday  the  income  tax,  Prof.  Johnson,  who  appeared 
as  chairman  of  the  Merchant's  Association  committee  on  taxa- 
tion, said  he  wanted  to  nail  the  frequently  expressed  opinion  that 
the  exemption  accorded  to  the  married  man  should  be  greater  than 
that  which  the  bachelor  enjoys. 

"Since  you  are  talking  about  exemptions,"  he  said,  "I  might  add 
this:  I  would  not  exempt  the  married  man.  I  would  not  give  any 
preference  to  the  married  man  over  the  bachelor.  I  do  not  believe 
it  is  a  good  thing  to  encourage  matrimony  by  lowering  taxation. 
On  the  contrary,  I  would  discourage  matrimony  by  making  the 
married  man  pay  a  higher  tax.  I  think  we  should  not  do  anything 
to  encourage  matrimony  and  child-bearing." 

"Surely  you  are  not  serious,  are  you,  Professor?"  inquired  Sena- 
tor Boylan. 

"I  certainly  am  serious.  I  should  have  to  give  you  quite  a  dis- 
quisition to  explain  my  conclusions,  and  I  doubt  if  it  would  be 
practicable  for  you  to  consider  the  subject  now.  And  you  would 
have  to  surrender  to  public  opinion  anyhow.  If  you  do  put  in 
force  a  new  system  of  taxation  you'll  have  to  treat  the  married  man 
easily.  I  am  still  a  confirmed  disciple  of  Malthus,  and  I  believe 
that  the  awful  war  in  Europe  is  being  fought  out  because  the  human 
race  has  deliberately  refused  to  see  the  lessons  of  his  doctrines, 
which  were  taught  a  hundred  years  ago." 

Prof.  Johnson,  who  in  addition  to  being  professor  of  economics 
at  New  York  University  is  also  dean  of  the  school  of  finance,  ex- 


EXERCISES  347 

plained  after  he  had  left  the  stand  that  he  is  not  opposed  to  matri- 
mony as  an  institution,  nor  as  a  refuge  from  loneliness  for  those  who 
can  afford  it.  He  is  himself  a  married  man  and  has  three  children. 

"I  believe  in  the  Malthusian  theory,"  he  said.  "Just  consider 
that  man  is  the  only  animal  whose  natural  increase  is  not  regulated. 
We  regulate  the  increase  in  the  number  of  cats  and  dogs  and  other 
domestic  animals,  but  we  let  human  beings  go  on  having  children 
without  any  thought  of  the  ability  of  society  to  take  care  of  them. 
I  think  we  should  regulate  marriage  and  especially  child-bearing. 

"In  my  opinion  no  married  man  ought  to  be  allowed  to  have  a 
child  until  he  can  convince  some  authority  of  his  ability  to  provide 
properly  for  that  child.  We  want  all  the  increase  we  can  get  in  the 
good  elements  of  population,  but  we  ought  to  keep  down  the  '  riff- 
raff' —  although  you  know  as  a  matter  of  fact  there  is  no  human 
'  riff  raff '-  —  yet  we  allow  them  to  increase  without  any  regulation. 
As  for  those  who  are  able  to  take  care  of  themselves,  let  them  marry 
and  have  children.  The  more  the  merrier." 

B.  Selection  (i)  below  is  a  bulletin  received  some  hours 
after  the  news  detailed  in  (2),  which  appeared  in  a  morning 
paper.  Combine  the  bulletin  with  the  morning  story. 

1.  After  confessing  that  he  was  the  cause  of  his  sweetheart, 
Emily  Benton's,  death,  Alfred  Barker  committed  suicide  at  6:00  A.M. 
to-day  by  throwing  himself  in  front  of  a  Burlington  express  train 
near  the  town  of  Ashworth.  In  his  pocket  was  found  the  follow- 
ing note: 

"Dear  Folks:  God  forgive  me  for  causing  my  sweet- 
heart's death.  I  did  not  kill  her.  We  walked  out 
there  and  sat  down.  I  tried  to  kiss  her  and  she  re- 
pulsed me.  I  asked  her  if  she  did  not  want  to  be  my 
sweetheart  any  more.  She  wouldn't  answer.  I  took  a 
hold  of  her  waist,  pushed  toward  her,  and  tried  to  love 
her.  She  started  to  scream,  and  I  went  completely  out 
of  my  head. 

"She  became  quiet  all  of  a  sudden.  I  thought  I  had 
hurt  her  and  she  was  breathing  heavily  but  was  sense- 
less. I  covered  her  up  and  don't  remember  what  hap- 
pened until  I  awoke  to  find  myself  lying  along  the  road, 
near  Naperville. 

"My  mind  came  back.  •  I  realized  what  I  had  done 
and  I  went  over  to  the  quarry  and  jumped  in,  but 
could  not  sink. 


348  NEWS  WRITING 

"Then  I  went  to  Aurora,  bought  some  chloroform, 
and  that  night  (Sunday)  I  came  back  and  found  my 
darling's  body,  and  I  realized  that  she  was  really  dead. 
I  laid  down  beside  her  and  took  chloroform,  but  about 
2:30  A.M.  I  woke  up  and  the  bottle  had  tipped  over. 

"Then  I  went  to  Belmont  and  got  a  freight  and 
rode  to  Aurora,  where  I  got  more  chloroform.  I  came 
back  to  Dawson  Grove  and  went  into  the  woods  and 
saturated  my  handkerchief  with  chloroform,  thinking 
I  would  surely  die.  But  it  failed  to  work  also. 

"I  could  not  live  and  know  that  my  sweetheart 
Emily  was  dead,  so  I  have  resolved  in  a  desperate 
way  to  end  my  life. 

"The  girl  died  of  heart  failure  or  fright,  as  I  surely 
could  not  kill  the  one  I  thought  the  most  of  in  the 
whole  world. 

"I  loved  her  more  than  words  can  tell  and  I  would 
die  for  her  and  I  will  die  for  her. 

"I  have  been  partly  insane  for  the  last  two  days. 

"Forgive  me  and  I  pray  to  meet  my  sweetheart  in 
heaven. 

"Alfred." 

This  morning  at  10  o'clock  a  jury  impaneled  by  W.  V.  Hopf, 
Ellis  County  coroner,  will  assemble  in  Dawson  Grove  for  an  inquest 
into  the  two  deaths.  At  the  same  hour  the  funeral  of  the  girl  will 
be  held  from  the  house  of  the  widowed  mother  she  supported.  The 
funeral  of  Barker  will  be  at  two  o'clock  to-morrow. 

GIRL  DEAD  IN  MYSTERY  CASE 

2.  Miss  Emily  Benton  was  found  dead  late  yesterday  in  a  patch 
of  bushes  on  the  outskirts  of  the  village  of  Dawson  Grove.  She 
had  disappeared  Saturday  evening  in  company  with  Alfred  Barker, 
a  young  man  who  had  been  paying  her  attention  since  childhood. 

Searching  parties  in  the  field  since  early  Sunday  morning  were 
joined  last  night  by  a  sheriff's  posse  in  the  quest  for  Barker.  Barker 
is  described  as  an  athletic  young  man  with  a  "Johnny  Evers"  jaw. 
Barker  was  about  5  feet  10  inches  tall  and  a  blond. 

Barker  and  the  girl  were  "pals"  in  the  words  of  their  relatives, 
who  only  half  guessed  at  times  that  perhaps  the  long  friendship 
would  become  a  "match."  Together  the  girl  and  Barker  often 
through  the  springtime  took  long  walks  at  night  —  occasionally  a 


EXERCISES  349 

matter  of  many  miles  —  to  the  villages  of  Hinman  and  Nashville. 
For  several  years  the  couple  rode  to  Chicago  together  to  work  every 
day  on  the  same  commuters'  train  and  often  returned  home  together 
at  night. 

While  an  alarm  was  sent  out  through  all  the  surrounding  towns 
for  the  apprehension  of  Barker,  no  charges  have  been  made  against 
him.  An  autopsy  held  in  secret  by  Coroner  Hopf  of  Ellis  county 
was  expected  to  reveal  the  cause  of  the  girl's  death. 

Alfred  Barker,  returning  from  his  work  at  the  general  offices  of 
the  Burlington  Railroad  in  Chicago,  dropped  off  a  train  at  the 
station  in  Dawson  Grove  on  Saturday  afternoon  at  5:15  o'clock. 
He  lingered  about  the  station  platform  until  the  6:30  train  came  in 
and  met  Miss  Benton,  home  from  her  day's  work  at  the  Parisian 
Fashion  Company  in  Chicago.  Together  they  walked  to  the  girl's 
home  and  stood  talking  on  the  doorstep  of  the  Benton  residence, 
just  as  they  had  most  every  afternoon  in  the  last  seven  years.  The 
mother  says  she  overheard  this  conversation: 

Alfred.  —  "Let's  take  in  a  show  to-night." 

Emily.  —  "No,  but  I'll  be  over  to-night.     I  want  to  see  Pauline." 

The  girl  abruptly  entered  the  house  and  greeted  her  mother  a 
trifle  impatiently. 

"I'm  getting  awful  tired  of  Al,"  she  said. 

That  evening  the  girl  went  to  the  home  of  her  sister,  Mrs.  Henry 
Wallis,  where  Barker  and  his  aunt,  Mrs.  Fannie  Willis,  mother-in- 
law  of  Mrs.  Wallis,  also  live.  At  8  o'clock  the  girl  and  Barker  left 
together. 

"They  said  they  might  go  to  a  show,  and  that's  the  last  I  saw  of 
them,"  Mrs.  Wallis  said. 

Late  at  night  the  two  households  became  alarmed  when  neither 
of  the  young  people  returned.  The  families  suggested  to  each  other 
that  Barker  and  the  girl  had  eloped,  but  still  there  were  doubts  and 
misgivings. 

Martin  Whittier,  the  town  marshal,  was  called  and  the  alarm 
was  sent  to  the  Chicago  police.  Sunday  morning  came  and  there 
was  no  word  of  either  of  the  missing. 

A  group  of  high  school  boys  volunteered  to  look  for  the  couple, 
and  soon  they  were  joined  by  the  whole  school.  No  trace  of  the 
trail  was  found. 

Yesterday  morning  the  disappearance  had  grown  into  a  village 
sensation.  The  schools  were  closed  for  the  day  and  all  the  pupils 
turned  out  to  beat  over  the  fields  and  woods. 

Carl  Selig,  a  grocery  delivery  man,  was  driving  in  Orchard  Street 


350  NEWS  WRITING 

on  the  south  side  of  the  village,  about  5  o'clock,  when  something 
behind  a  bunch  of  bushes  and  tanglewood  at  Lyman  Street  caught 
his  eye.  He  climbed  off  the  wagon  and  pushed  through  the  brush 
to  investigate.  In  a  small  open  place  half  concealed  by  the  bushes 
Selig  came  upon  a  girl's  body.  The  face  was  covered  with  her 
coat  and  her  hands  were  folded  across  her  breast.  He  gingerly 
pulled  off  the  coat  and  recognized  the  girl  as  Emily  Benton.  Selig 
gave  the  alarm  and  the  body  was  removed  to  Davis's  undertaking 
rooms  in  the  village. 

The  ground  near  the  death  spot  was  closely  examined  without 
discovery  of  any  trace  of  a  struggle.  Ten  feet  away  from  the  body 
a  boy  picked  up  an  empty  two-ounce  bottle.  It  showed  no  trace 
of  its  contents  and  it  bore  no  label. 

At  the  undertaking  rooms  a  preliminary  examination  of  the  body 
disclosed  a  bruised  splotch  on  the  girl's  neck,  another  on  the  right 
temple,  and  a  third  oh  the  chin.  The  inside  of  her  mouth  was  dis- 
colored and  seared,  as  though  she  might  have  taken  carbolic  acid. 
There  was  no  odor  to  indicate  any  chemical. 

Last  night  Sheriff  Kuhn  and  Coroner  Hopf  of  Ellis  county  went 
to  Dawson  Grove  and  assumed  personal  charge  of  the  case. 


CHAPTER   XIX 

A.  Write  a  feature  story  on  the  different  ways  students  in 
your  college  make  money.     Get  statistics  of  the  number  of 
students  earning  their  way  wholly  or  in  part  and  the  amount 
of  money  earned  during  a  college  year. 

B.  The  following    statement  was  made  by  Dr.   Martin 
Frederick    of    the    city    medical    staff,    Cleveland,    Ohio: 
"  Milady's  dimples  are  defects  caused  by  faulty  construction 
or  weaknesses   of  the  cheek  muscles."    Interview  several 
ladies  who  have  dimples  and  write  the  story. 

C.  The    following    statements    were    made    by    Colonel 
G.    O.    Shields,    president    of    the    League    of    American 
Sportsmen: 

"The  cotton  growers  are  suffering  a  loss  of  one  hundred  million 
dollars  a  year  by  reason  of  the  ravages  of  the  boll  weevil.  Why? 
Because  the  quails,  the  prairie  chickens,  the  meadow  larks  and  other 
birds  which  were  formerly  there  in  millions  have  been  swept  away 


EXERCISES  351 

by  gunners.  The  grain  growers  are  losing  over  one  hundred  mil- 
lion dollars  a  year  on  account  of  the  work  of  the  chinch  bug.  They 
are  losing  another  two  hundred  million  dollars  a  year  on  account  of 
the  work  of  the  Hessian  fly.  Both  of  these  are  very  small  insects, 
almost  microscopic  in  size.  It  takes  over  twenty-four  thousand 
chinch  bugs  to  weigh  one  ounce.  A  quail  killed  in  a  wheat  field  in 
Ohio  and  examined  by  a  government  expert  had  in  its  craw  the  re- 
mains of  over  twelve  hundred  chinch  bugs  it  had  eaten  that  day. 
Another  quail  killed  in  Kansas  and  examined  by  another  govern- 
ment expert  had  in  its  craw  the  remains  of  over  two  thousand  Hes- 
sian flies  that  it  had  eaten  that  day.  The  farmers  of  the  Northern 
states  are  paying  out  sixteen  to  seventeen  million  dollars  a  year  for 
paris  green  to  put  on  their  potato  vines.  A  quail  killed  in  a  potato 
field  in  Pennsylvania  and  examined  by  a  government  entomologist 
had  in  its  stomach  the  remains  of  one  hundred  twenty-six  bugs. 
The  quail  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  insect-eating  birds  of  its  size 
in  the  world;  and  yet  there  are  so-called  sportsmen  all  over  the  land, 
thousands  of  them,  who  insist  on  having  legal  authority  to  kill  every 
quail  they  can  find  during  at  least  three  months  of  each  year.  Then 
there  is  a  whole  army  of  game-hogs  who  go  out  and  kill  them  when 
they  are  half  grown  and  when  there  is  no  game  warden  in  sight. 

Write  a  feature  story  about  the  value  of  birds. 

D.  The  following  bill  of  fare  for  fifteen  cents  was  found  in 
a  restaurant  at  1615  Austin  Avenue:    two  eggs  cooked  any 
style,  one  cup  of  coffee,  two  slices  of  bread,  butter,  potatoes, 
toothpicks.     Steak  instead  of  eggs  made  the  price  twenty 
cents.     Pie  was  five  cents.     The  proprietor,  Christ  Terss, 
a  Greek,  has  supported  himself  and  wife  for  two  years  on 
this  priced  menu  and  in  addition  has  put  $200  in  the  bank. 
Make  a  feature  story  of  the  details. 

E.  In  the  court  of  domestic  relations  yesterday,  Willie 
Preber,  19,  1848  Ontario  Street,  was  accused  by  his  step- 
mother, Mrs.  John  Preber,  of  fighting  her.     Willie  pleaded 
not  guilty,  saying  he  could  not  fight  with  her  much,  as  he 
had  a  weak  heart  and  might  die  if  he  got  excited.     He  de- 
clared he  never  touched  her  more  than  once  a  day.     He  was 
sent  to  the  house  of  correction  for  sixty  days. 

F.  The  Seattle  Star  got  a  good  story  by  interviewing  a 


352  NEWS  WRITING 

number  of  men  and  women  about  the  book  they  had  liked 
most  when  children.  Tom  Sawyer  and  Robinson  Crusoe 
led  the  list.  Try  the  story  in  your  town  or  in  your  university. 

G.  A  similar  story  to  that  in  F  may  be  had  by  interview- 
ing a  number  of  persons  about  their  favorite  sacred  hymn. 
"  On  ward,  Christian  Soldiers"  led  the  list  in  Columbus, 
Ohio. 

H.  Inquire  of  twelve  or  fifteen  college  men  and  women 
what  favorite  remedies  they  use  for  colds.  Their  varied 
replies  will  be  startling.  Make  a  feature  story  of  their 
answers. 

/.  Question  a  number  of  persons  in  your  town,  or  in  your 
university,  about  >  their  favorite  hobbies,  and  feature  the 
story  as  "  Riding  Hobby  Horses  with  Blank  Men  and 
Women." 

/.  Inquire  of  the  members  of  the  senior  class  what  kinds 
of  husbands  or  wives  they  expect  to  marry.  If  they  do  not 
intend  marrying,  get  their  reasons  and  feature  them  in  a 
separate  story. 

K.  Spend  an  afternoon  in  the  kitchens  of  the  university 
dormitories  and  write  the  story. 

L.  How  strictly  is  the  honor  system  observed  in  colleges 
to-day?  Interview  underclassmen  in  your  college  and  make 
a  feature  of  their  replies. 


INDEX 


Abbreviations,  269 
Accidents,  149,  153 
Accuracy  in  news,  26,  57,  67,  74, 

84,  116,  128,  141,  146 
Adaptability,  7 
Addresses,  54,  135 
"Add "stories,  253 
Advance  copies  of  speeches,  54 
Advance  stories,  54,  193 
Advertisement,  persons  seeking,  47 
Advertising  manager,  21 
Agreement  of  pronouns,  100 
Alone,  1 08 

Ambiguous  pronouns,  100 
Anger,  46 

Appleton  Post,  quoted,  59,  77 
Apostrophe,  266 
Arrest  sheets,  36 

Articles,  beginning  stories  with,  70 
Assignments,  42 
Associated  Press,  quoted,  237 
Atlanta  Constitution,  quoted,  190 
Automobile  races,  189 
Autoplate,  16 

Bank,  14 

Banks  in  headlines,  281 

Banquets,  143 

Baseball,  167 

Basket-ball,  176 

Beats:   news  runs,  39;   scoops,  40 

Beginnings  of  stories,  68 

Beginning  work,  5 

Billiards,  190 


Bing-bing-bing  style,  93 
Blotter,  police,  34 
Body  of  the  story,  84 
Boston  Transcript,  quoted,  205 
Boxed  summaries,  76 
Boxing  matches,  185 
Bryan,  W.  J.,  131 
Bulldog  edition,  5 
Business  department,  20 
Business  manager,  20 

Capitalization,  256 

Cards,  calling,  42,  45 

Cartoonist,  n 

Cashier,  22 

Charity  benefits,  205 

Chase,  16 

Chicago  American,  quoted,  93 

Chicago  Herald,  quoted,  140 

Chicago  Tribune,  quoted,  60,  192, 

196,  233,  301 

Children,  stories  about,  30,  151 
Circulation  manager,  20 
City  editor,  5,  6,  68,  95 
City  maps,  43 
City  room,  3 

Clearness,  74,  90,  97,  106,  117 
Climactic  order,  61,  64 
Clippings,  253 
Closeness  of  events,  29 
Clubs,  205,  209 

Coherence,  90,  109,  129,  141,  218 
Colon,  259 
Comma,  260 


353 


354  INDEX 

Complex  order  in  stories,  63 
Composing  room,  13 
Compositors,  13 
Condensation,  95,  223 
Conjunctions,  104,  107 
Contests,  30 
Conventions,  32,  143 
Conversation,  129 
Coordination  of  clauses,  104 
Copy,  294 
Copy  cutter,  13 
Copy  distributor,  13 
Copy  holder,  16 
Copy  readers,  5 
Corrected  copy,  275 
Corrected  proof,  276 
Corrections  in  copy,  254 
Correlative  conjunctions,  107 
Correspondence  stories,  235 
Correspondent,  235 
Courtesy,  46 
Courts,  144 
Crime,  149,  160 
Cuts,  253 

Dana,  Charles  A.,  116 

Dances,  204 

Dark  runs,  40 

Dash,  263 

Davis,  R.  H.,  quoted,  48 

Dead,  lists  of,  150 

Deaths,  157 

Decisions,  court,  145 

Delicacy  of  expression,  1 13 

Des  Moines  Register,  quoted,  66 

Dinners,  202 

Dispatches,  filing,  239 

Dress,  46 

Dullness  in  stories,  84 

Editor:  city,  6;  exchange,  9;  finan- 
cial, 10;  literary,  10;  managing, 


ii ;  market,  10;  news,  7;  society, 
6,  10;  state,  8;  telegraph,  8 

Editorializing,  87,   191 

Editorial  policies,  87 

Editorial  rooms,  5 

Editorials,  purpose  of,  87 

Editorial  writers,  n 

Editor-in-chief,  12 

Elegance,  120 

Ellipsis,  106 

Emphasis,  93,  97,  no 

End-mark  in  copy,  254 

Engagements,     announcements, 
200,  210 

Exaggeration,  86,  146 

Exchange  editor,  9 

Exercises,  285 

Extremes  in  news,  29 

Fake  stories,  56 

Falsehood,  detecting,  51 

Feature  stories,  224 

Features,  playing  up,  69,  127 

Figures,  271 

Figures  of  speech,  119 

Filing  news  dispatches,  239 

Filing  queries,  240 

Financial  editor,  10 

Fires,  149 

Flaubert,  Gustave,  quoted,  116 

Following  up  news,  212 

Follow  stories,  212 

Football,  171,  192 

Force,  93,  97,  no,  119 

Forms,  16 

Fudge,  1 8 

Funerals,  157 

Galley  proof,  15 

Golf,  179 

Government  publications,  144 

Grammar,  99 


INDEX 


355 


Helplessness,  value  in  news,  30 
Heroism,  acts  of,  150 
Holiday  stories,  143 
Holmes,  George  R.,  quoted,  77 
Human  interest  stories,  224 
Humorous  stories,  146,  151 
Hyphen,  267 

Illustrations,  253 

Inaccuracy  in  news,  26,  84 

Indianapolis  News,  quoted,  156 

Infinitives,  101 

Injured,  lists  of,  150 

Inserts  in  copy,  252 

Instructions  from  city  editor,  68, 95 

Instructions  to  correspondents,  244 

Interest  in  news,  27,  58,  74 

Interviewing,  45 

Interviews:      by    telephone,    42; 

making  men  talk,  48;    numbers 

of,   135;    questions  in,  47,   50; 

requirements  for,  45 ;  writing  up, 

125 

Kansas  City  Star,  quoted,  62,  312 
Killed,  lists  of,  150 

Labor  reporter,  6 

Lardner,  R.  W.,  quoted,  192 

Law  of  libel,  85,  162 

Leads:  accident,  149,  153;  ac- 
curacy in,  74;  clearness  in,  74; 
construction,  70;  contents  of, 
69;  crime,  160;  deaths,  157; 
feature  stories,  230;  fires,  149; 
follow-ups,  213;  form  of,  72;  in- 
formal, 78;  interest  in,  74; 
interviews,  126;  kinds,  68;  re- 
writes, 219;  speeches,  135; 
sports,  165;  summarizing,  69, 
138;  suspense  in,  78,  81;  verse 
in,  80 


Lectures,  54 

Legal  decisions,  144 

Libel,  law  of,  85,  162 

Librarian,  10 

Linotype  machine,  13 

Lists  of  dead  and  injured,  150 

Literary  editor,  10 

Life  lost,  150 

Localization  of  news,  29,  127,  218 

Local  news,  238 

Longhand  copy,  250 

Los  Angeles   Times,  quoted,   203, 

204 
Luncheons,  202 

Magazine  articles,  144 

Managing  editor,  n 

Mannerisms,  130,  143 

Maps,  city,  43 

Margins  in  copy,  250 

Marine  reporter,"6 

Market  editor,  10 

Marks  for  correcting  copy,  273 

Marriages,  201,  210 

Matrix,  16 

Mechanical  department,  13 

Memory,  need  of,  49 

Milwaukee  Journal,  15,  189 

Milwaukee  Sentinel,  quoted,  80 

Minneapolis  Tribune,  quoted,  64 

Morgue,  9 

Motives,  seeking,  51 

Murders,  149 

Names,  need  of  accuracy,  53 
Nearness  of  events,  29 
Nevin,  J.  E.,  quoted,  131-134 
News:  accuracy  in,  26;  biased,  56; 
defined,    26;     essentials  of,   25; 
following  up,  212;    getting  into 
print,   13;    nose  for,   25;    runs, 
39;    sources,  34,  159,  191,  211, 


356 


INDEX 


230;  staff,  5;  suppression  of,  41; 

timeliness  in,  28;    values,  need 

of  knowing,  25 
News  editor,  7 
Newspaper  organization,  3 
New  York  Herald,  quoted,  81,  155, 

159 

New  York  Sun,  116,  201,  204,  225 
New  York  Times,  quoted,  81,  168, 

182,  185,  205 

New  York  Tribune,  quoted,  176 
New  York  World,  quoted,  154,  171, 

194,  214 

Nose  for  news,  25 
Note-book  in  reporting,,  49 
Note-taking,  49 
Numbers,  271 

Obituaries,  157 

Office,  city,  3,  43 

Omaha  News,  quoled,  131-134 

O'Malley,  F.  W.,  quoted,  225 

Only,  108 

Organization  of  a  newspaper,  3 

Organization  of  stories,  57 

Ownership,  influence  on  news,  89 

Pagination,  252 

Paragraph,  the,  97 

Paragraph  indention,  251 

Paragraph  marks  in  copy,  251 

Parenthetic  expressions,  108 

Parentheses,  264 

Participles,  102 

Pathos  in  news  stories,  31,  151 

Period,  259 

Personal  interests  in  news,  32 

Personals,  206 

Philadelphia  Public  Ledger,  quoted 

177,  201 

Photographers,  n 
Photographs,  54 


Pitkin,  W.  B.,  quoted,  27 
Places,  well  known,  in  news,  31 
Plate,  stereotyping,  16 
Police:     as    news    gatherers,    34; 

blotter,  34;    bulletin  board,  35; 

headquarters,    34;     news,    34; 

reporter,  39 
Policies,  newspaper,  87 
Political  news,  89 
Presses,  printing,  17 
Press  room,  17 
Printing,  speed  in,  18 
Printing  presses,  17 
Prominent  persons,  31,  51,  218 
Pronouns,  91,  100 
Proof:    correcting,    16;    specimen 

sheet,   276;    galley,   15;    marks 

used  in  correcting,  277 
Proof-readers,  15 
Proof-readers'  marks,  277 
Proportion,  in,  129 
Punctuation,  256 

Queries,  240 

Question  leads,  79 

Questions  in  interviewing,  47,  50, 
127 

Quotation-marks,  264 

Quotations:  in  leads,  80;  verba- 
tim, 136,  142,  264 

Receptions,   203 

Record-breaking  events,  30 

Relation  words,  91 

Release  stories,  54 

Repetition,  91,  112 

Reporters:  duties,  6;  getting  news, 

42,    127;   requirements   of,    25; 

suppressing  news,  41 
Rewrite  man,  219 
Rewrite  stories,  212,  218 
Robberies,  149,  162 


INDEX 


357 


Rumors,  26,  153 
Runs,  news,  39 

Scoops,  40 

Semicolon,  260 

Sentences,  72,  95,  99 

Sermons,  54,  135 

Sheets,  36 

Shorthand,  49 

Slang,  120,  164 

Slips,  35 

Slugging  a  story,  13 

Slugs,  14 

Society,  199 

Society  editor,  6,  10,  199 

Sources  for  news,  34,  159, 191,  211, 
230,  238 

Space  order  in  stories,  60 

Speeches,  54,  135 

Speed  devices,  18 

Speed,  value  in  reporting,  57 

Spencer,  Herbert,  58 

Split  infinitive,  101 

Sporting  editor,  8 

Sports,  164,  243 

State  editor,  8 

Stereotyping  process,  16 

Stories:  correspondence,  235;  get- 
ting, 42,  127,  159,  191,  211,  230, 
238;  starting  for,  42 

String,  correspondent's,  245 

Style  book,  249 

Subjects,  shifted,  109 

Subordination  of  clauses,  104 

Suicides,  149 

Summaries,  boxed,  76 

Suppression  of  news,  41,  48 

Suspensive  leads,  78,  81 


Takes,  13,  15,  251 

Teas,  202 

Technical  news  stories,  144 

Telegraph  copy,  8,  239 

Telegraph  editor,  8 

Telegraph  news,  239,  244 

Telephone,  use  of,  42,  239 

Tennis,  182 

Terminology,  278 

Testimony,  reporting,  145 

Timeliness,  28 

Time  order  in  stories,  59 

Tone,  82,  93 

Track  meets,  177 

Trials,  144 

Trite  phrases,  119 

Typewriter,  250 

Underscoring,  253 
Under-statement,  value  of,  87 
Unity  in  sentences,  no 
Unity     of     impression,     82,     93, 

232 
Unusual,  the,  value  in  news,  30 

Vagueness  of  phrasing,  93 
Verbs,  101,  103 
Verse  in  leads,  80 

Washington    Post,     quoted,     202, 

207 

Weather  stories,  154 
Weddings,  201 
Witnesses,    statements   from,    76, 

145 

Women's  clubs,  205,  209 
Words,  116 
Writing  paper,  250 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
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F£8    4  1939 

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